Yukon has found itself a licensed pot supplier - Action News
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Yukon has found itself a licensed pot supplier

The Yukon government has signed a supply agreement with High Park, a B.C.-based cannabis producer. The initial purchase will be 50 kilograms of product.

The Yukon Liquor Corporation has signed its first cannabis supply agreement

Once the federal government legalizes recreational pot later this year, Yukon will receive its first 50 kilograms of inventory. It has the option of purchasing 350 kilograms in the first year. (Tilray)

The Yukon Liquor Corporation has signed its first major supply agreement with a licensed cannabis producer.

Tilray Canada sells medical cannabis nationally, but its subsidiary, High Park, will be providing recreational cannabis to Yukonerswhen the drugbecomes legal this summer.

High Park says itsrecreational product is tested for potency so consumers will have a goodidea of what they are buying.

"You have to test for potency, so all of that will be validated. So the potency of the product you can rest assured, or consumers can rest assured, it's the potency in the product," saidAdine Fabiani-Carter, the chief marketing officer at High Park.

She says all products will be labelled with "exactly what the THC [Tetrahydrocannabinol]and CBD[Cannabidiol]percentage is," she said.

'You have to test for potency, so all of that will be validated,' says Adine Fabiani-Carter of High Park. (High Park Company)

Once the federal government legalizes recreational pot, Yukon will receive its first 50 kilograms of inventory. It has the option of purchasing 350 kilograms in the first year.

Tilray and its affiliate High Park havefederally-licensed $30-million medical cannabis cultivation and processing facilities in Nanaimo, B.C. The company plans to expand and build a second $30-millionfacility in Ontario this summer.

Fabiani-Carter says High Park will be sending adult recreational use cannabis and oilonly.

"We will be selling everything we are allowed to, under the regulations that are coming out by Health Canada. What you would think of cannabis in its most standard forms so, the bud of the cannabis flower, whether it's in a dry flower form or put into a pre-roll."

From seed to sale

Federal legislation and regulations stipulatesuppliers can't supplyloose cannabis. Everything has to be accounted for, from seed to sale.

"It's going to be packaged in child-resistant packaging," says Fabiani-Carter.

She says the packaging is not designed to be attractive to children. There will be warning labels affixed to the sealed product, along with information about its weight and contents.

High Park's parent company, Tilray, operates medical cannabis cultivation and processing facilities in Nanaimo, B.C., and plans to expand and build a second facility in Ontario this summer. (CBC)

High Park'swebsite shows a variety of cannabis products including Marley Natural, Irisa, and Dutchy brands althoughtheYukon Liquor Corporation won't say whichbrands will be sold in the territory.

Yukoners will be able to buy flower bud and cannabis oil, but notedibles.

"Well, right now I can tell you edibles won't be legalized at first," says Scott Westerlaken of theYukon Liquor Corporation. He says they may become legal by 2019.

Westerlaken says the liquor corporation is alsolooking atother licensed producers besides High Park.

'We can sign several different suppliers as required or needed by customer demand,' said Scott Westerlaken of the Yukon Liquor Corporation. (Government of Yukon)

"There is no exclusivity with Tilray[High Park],so we can sign several different suppliers as required or needed by customer demand," hesaid.

Westerlaken says under the federal legislation, the Yukon government can't advertise the effects of different strains of cannabis. But he says Yukoners will be able to choose from a variety of new and established brands and products.

According to federal estimates, Yukonersare expected to consume about800 to 1,000 kilograms of cannabis eachyear.

TheYukon governmentplans to spend about $2.7 million this year on cannabis inventory.