FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 13, 2022

(Quw’utsun’/ Duncan, B.C.) – Realizing the significant social and economic development opportunities associated with an expansion of legal craft cannabis and medical psilocybin production on Vancouver Island will be in the spotlight at a special farmers’ roundtable this week in Duncan, British Columbia. 

The event is co-hosted by the BC Craft Farmers Co-op (BCCFC) and TheraPsil:

 “In addition to being home to some of the best craft cannabis farmers in the world, Vancouver Island health care providers and patients have been central to Canada’s movement toward legalizing psilocybin for medical purposes over the past two years,” said TheraPsil CEO, Spencer Hawkswell.  “As the medical community’s interest in psilocybin continues to grow across Canada and around the world, there will be an increasing demand for a safe supply and high-quality treatment options. Vancouver Island is positioned very well to deliver both.”   

BCCFC President Tara Kirkpatrick said, “While Vancouver Island’s craft cannabis farmers can create hundreds of local jobs and tourism opportunities with the introduction of the province’s farm gate and on-site cannabis consumption policies, our network of licenced medical farmers can produce a safe supply of cannabis and psilocybin for people suffering from chronic disease and addictions to killer drugs like heroin, cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.”    

Roundtable Details

Date: Thursday, June 16, 2022
Location: The Hub at Cowichan Station, 2375 Koksilah Road 
Time: 9:30am – 3:00pm

Roundtable Goals

  • Identify economic and social development opportunities common to Vancouver Island’s internationally recognized craft cannabis farmers, psilocybin producers, care providers and tourism industry.
  • Discuss partnerships and pathways to achieve these opportunities in the public interest through collaborations with Indigenous, provincial and federal government, community leaders and business associations.

Roundtable Agenda

9:30am Guests Arrive and mingle
9:40am Introductions, Agenda Review, Meeting Purpose
10:00am Overview of Canada’s Cannabis and Regulatory Framework
10:25am Roundtable Discussion about Medical Access and Safe Supply

How can Vancouver Island farmers collaborate to provide a safe supply of cannabis and psilocybin to people suffering chronic health conditions and addiction?

11:15am BREAK – Media Availability
11:30am Overview of Job Creation and Economic Development Opportunities
11:45am Roundtable Discussion

Does Vancouver Island have a unique opportunity to be a world leader in craft cannabis, psilocybin production and treatment? If yes, what is the scale of this opportunity and what are the barriers to realizing this potential?

12:45pm Review Action Items
1:00pm BREAK – Media Availability
1:30pm Participant Lunch

Based on Vancouver Island, TheraPsil is a non-profit coalition of healthcare professionals, patients, and advocates dedicated to obtaining access to safe, effective, and legal psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for Canadians. Over the past two years, TheraPsil has successfully advocated securing more than 80 exemptions from the federal Minister of Health for Canadians to legally possess psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) for medical purposes. 

The BC Craft Farmers Co-op (BCCFC) was founded in 2020 to provide B.C.’s small cannabis producers and processors with a safe, accessible, and sustainable alternative to the illicit market and ensure BC’s international reputation as an international cannabis leader and innovator is maintained. BCCFC members and supporters include BC craft farmers, processors, nurseries, labs, independent retailers, consumers, and sector vendors.

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Media Contact:

BCCFC Secretary
info@bccraftfarmerscoop.com

Holly Bennett, TheraPsil Communications Director
Holly@therapsil.ca