Panelists Brad Alexander, Jeff Kostiuk, Ryan Jackson, Will Van Roessel and Christopher Roberts with emcee Tracy Stroud at Medicine Hat College's Hemp and Cannabis Conference Friday.--NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Hatters had the opportunity Friday to learn about the region’s burgeoning cannabis and hemp industry at Medicine Hat College.
The Cannabis and Hemp Conference – organized by APEX – included five regional speakers from the industry, who then convened in a panel moderated by Tracy Stroud, the college’s manager of business development.
Stroud told the News it’s important to inform members of the public about the opportunities afforded by the growing industry, in addition to clearing up misconceptions about it.
“We wanted to create an event for everyone to come and learn – whether that was business owners, whether that was job seekers, or whether that was just the general public who wanted to know more about this industry – we wanted to create that atmosphere so people could get information and their questions answered,” she said.
A common misconception about hemp and cannabis is “not fully understanding all the uses of the plant, and how THC and CBD works,” said Stroud. “That’s why we brought the experts in to speak about that.”
One presenter – Jeff Kostiuk, director of operations, central region, for Hemp Genetics International – says there’s been a “little bit of a blurring of the lines” between the hemp and cannabis industries since legalization in October 2018.
“It’s important for consumers to understand which plant is which and how everything is affected,” he said.
Kostiuk candidly acknowledged there’s some room for improvement in the industry.
“Out of a one to 10, I’d say we’re a six at this point,” he said. “We’re on a downward trend as far as pressure on prices and production and that’s been the Achilles heel of the industry thus far. We’re as guilty as any other company of falling into that.”
But he said there are encouraging signs, with more companies worldwide getting in on the business.
“There’s some very promising years ahead. We just need to sort of get the peaks and valleys into a little bit more of a level playing field,” said Kostiuk.
The industry has had some setbacks in the city – with Aurora Cannabis indefinitely postponing 85 per cent of its 1.62 million square-foot planned facility – but Stroud says Aurora is here to stay.
There’s a bigger regional picture that must be taken into account, with operations in Bow Island, Brooks and near Oyen, she added. .
“They’re not going anywhere. They’re just doing a responsible approach to growth,” Stroud said of Aurora. “It’s not just happening in Medicine Hat. It’s happening across the region and that gives us strength, it gives us a lot of opportunities, because we can learn from what different companies are doing.”
