Health Canada’s regulations, high licensing fees and excise tax have made it difficult for small cannabis farmers to succeed. (Submitted artwork/Certicraft)

By Jennifer Olson

technology

Compliance software assists craft cannabis producers in navigating licensing challenges

Nov 14, 2023 | 7:38 PM

I would be expected experts in any given field would be the leaders in their industry, obtaining the highest rates of success in their respective markets.

However, when it comes to cannabis production in Canada, skilled and experienced cultivators face debilitating challenges entering the $11.2 billion legal market.

Health Canada’s regulations, high licensing fees and excise tax have made it difficult for small cannabis farmers to succeed.

“Most historic craft cannabis producers in Canada were excited by legalization, then incredibly discouraged once they learned what was involved in getting and maintaining a license,” explained Sami Majadla, CEO of CertiCraft, a compliance software company that assists producers in entering the legal market.

“The vast majority of those producers have chosen not to transition due to the many shortcomings of the current regulatory landscape. We’ve been saddened to see the people who fought for decades to legalize cannabis, and the people who took huge personal risks to provide cannabis to countless people who really needed it, largely pushed to the wayside in today’s market.”

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Certicraft helps to simplify, clarify and streamline the licensing process, so that cannabis producers can focus on what they do best.

“We make the headache of Health Canada and the CRA go away. CertiCraft provides growers with workflows that make intuitive sense to everybody on their team,” Majadla shared.

“These workflows enable easy tracking of work in real-time, while ensuring everything required by the government. Then, when it’s time for a monthly report or a government audit, we generate everything needed in seconds. There’s a lot more to what we do, but it really boils down to eradicating stress and headache, while saving growers dozens (if not hundreds) of hours of busywork every month, depending on the scale.”

The situation may be looking up for craft cannabis entrepreneurs. The popularity of craft cannabis continues to climb, and Health Canada is set to review existing regulations in hopes of streamlining regulatory requirements.

Decades of cultivation experience and expertise are reflected in the quality of cannabis produced by craft farmers. CertiCraft and other advocates, companies and organizations have made it their mission to support and uplift craft cannabis producers. In doing so, small-scale farmers can have a better chance of success in the legal market, and B.C. and Canada can maintain their position as global leaders in cannabis production.

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info@westernbuzz.ca