2019 has been a busy year for RCU and the Canadian cannabis industry

2019 has been a busy year for the team at RCU - Responsible Cannabis Use and the Canadian cannabis industry. Our team continues to grow, including the addition of our advisors:

  • Jim Wigmore, Forensic Toxicologist, Expert Witness and Author,
  • Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto
  • Dr. Roland Muise, Chronic Pain and Addiction physician with over 30 years of experience
  • Karen Woodall, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Forensic Toxicology at UofT Mississauga

We are busy preparing for 2020, but in the meantime, let’s take a look back at what we’ve been up to this year.

We’ve learned a lot!

We launched a total of seven Canada-wide campaigns to get a better understanding of the knowledge gaps that exist when it comes to cannabis impairment laws, possession limits and travelling with cannabis both domestically and internationally. The biggest takeaway from the survey results is that Canadians are still very uninformed when it comes to Canada’s cannabis laws - especially when it comes to cannabis in the workplace. Employers need to take a more proactive approach in 2020 to ensure that their employees are well-informed about company policies and keep their workplace safe - especially for those in safety-sensitive jobs.

We launched DontBeSorry.ca

We launched our free online resource to promote education around the cannabis laws in Canada - DontBeSorry.ca. Cannabis laws can be confusing - especially because they differ from province to province. We wanted to make it easy for Canadians to find the laws and limits all in one place - especially if they plan to travel throughout Canada with cannabis in their possession.

We launched CannEd

We launched our cannabis education product for employers - CannEd. In a legalized market, employers have a responsibility, and a vested interest, to educate their employees on cannabis in the workplace. RCU makes this happen seamlessly and affordability.  CannEd is an online cannabis course that educates employers and employees on how to manage cannabis at work. We believe education and having conversations is the best way to fight the stigma and create an inclusive and understanding workplace.

We launched CannEd Retail

We launched our cannabis education product for employers - CannEd Retail. CannEd Retail is a cannabis education tool for licensed retailers. It empowers retailers to promote responsible cannabis use by sharing facts, laws and other information about cannabis online and in-store.

We joined the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council

In September, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and Fire & Flower launched the Ontario Cannabis Policy Council. The Council is the first of its kind in Ontario composed of industry leaders who will tackle the key issues impacting the recreational cannabis industry. RCU is proud to be a founding member of the Council and will continue our mission to empower individuals and organizations with the products and insights needed to make informed decisions.

We attended and spoke at conferences

In October, RCU attended the Conference Board of Canada’s Cannabis at Work conference in partnership with the Globe and Mail as a participating sponsor. This was one of Canada’s first post-legalization events relating to cannabis at work. RCU’s CEO, Afshin Mousavian spoke to attendees on a panel to discuss how to effectively educate Canadians about cannabis use. RCU’s Advisor and Forensic Toxicologist, James Wigmore closed the conference with a talk about edibles in a legalized market.

In November, we attended the Cannabis Cover conference in partnership with Insurance Business Canada Magazine as a media partner. The event brought together leading insurance influencers to discuss key perspectives on new regulations for edibles, topicals and extracts, product liability risks, policy needs, and how these forces combine to shape the growing insurance market. RCU’s COO, Karina Karassev spoke to attendees on why employers have a responsibility to educate their employees about cannabis as current impairment policies are not enough.

We received a lot of interest from media outlets

A number of media outlets have featured the data we have collected through our surveys. We’ve been guests on Business of Cannabis Live, CP24 and SiriusXM’s Joint Ventures.

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