Dear Pot Lawyer,
Are Canadians really taking over Oregon weed? I’m concerned!
Not exactly, but Canadian money is definitely here and more is on the way. How it’s happening is sort of strange, but consistent with the trend of Canada lapping the US as far as cannabis industries go. But you asked about Oregon. I’ll explain.
The Canadian invasion began two years ago, when Oregon became the first state to open its weed industry to nonresident ownership and investment. One of the first Canadian companies to take advantage of this was Golden Leaf Holdings, AKA Golden. It grabbed a few Oregon licenses and started using public money to buy up local brands like Chalice Farms. Now Golden is a vertical player moving into states like Nevada. As far as US cannabis companies go, Golden is fairly big.
So how is a cannabis company publicly traded? The short answer is: It’s easier in Canada.