Thanks for Making Craft Cannabis Summit a Success!
The BC Cannabis Summit was a success!
Held April 19-21 in Prince George, BC on the traditional territory of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, this event brought together craft cannabis farmers, processors, independent retailers, Indigenous organizations, government officials, and other sector leaders.
Hundreds participated in this three-day summit that put a spotlight on one of BC’s best-kept cannabis secrets.
In conjunction, the BC Craft Farmers’ Co-op hosted a 4/20 street party on Saturday with 30 vendors and hundreds of members of the public in attendance. This +19 event was the first cannabis-related street closure ever in British Columbia.
AirMed was proud to participate in the summit in Prince George. We’d like to thank everyone who dropped by our booth and especially those who took the time to watch a free demonstration of AirMed software. We appreciate you taking the time to learn about our latest cannabis management innovations.
If you missed seeing a demo or want to see more, click the Request Demo button at the top of the page.
In the meantime, visit our software page: https://airmedcloud.com/airmed-5-intro-new/
For more information about the event visit: https://www.bccraftfarmerscoop.com/2024-bc-craft-farmers-cannabis-summit/
If you missed seeing a demo or want to see more, click the Request Demo button at the top of the page.
In the meantime, visit our software page: https://airmedcloud.com/airmed-5-intro-new/
For more information about the event visit: https://www.bccraftfarmerscoop.com/2024-bc-craft-farmers-cannabis-summit/
To read about the 4/20 cannabis street fair in Prince George, click one of the links below.
High praise for Canada’s first official cannabis street party
Province’s first ever 420 street closure sees huge success in Prince George
Just two days until the Craft Cannabis Summit in Prince George
In just two days, the BC Craft Farmers Co-Op (BCCFC) will hold the 2024 BC Craft Farmers Cannabis Summit in Prince George, BC on the traditional territory of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation.
BC craft cannabis farmers, processors, independent retailers, Indigenous organizations, government officials, and other sector leaders are invited to participate in this three-day summit that will put a spotlight on one of BC’s best-kept cannabis secrets.
While attending the summit, drop by our booth for a free demonstration of AirMed software. We can’t wait to show you our latest software innovations.
For more information visit: https://www.bccraftfarmerscoop.com/2024-bc-craft-farmers-cannabis-summit/
AirMed to Sponsor Growing Relationships Calgary: May 6, 2024
StratCann’s Growing Relationships is back in Calgary this May, and AirMed is a proud sponsor!
Stratcann is passionate about bringing growers, processors, and retailers together to get to know each other and share ideas. Following the success of the sold-out 2023 Growing Relationship series, Stratcann is hosting this one-day event for Alberta’s community of small-batch and micro producers, retailers and other professionals in the cannabis industry.
An important component of the Growing Relationships events is to engage the community in discussion and brainstorming on industry issues from a variety of perspectives.
Attendees will be presented with networking opportunities, engaging panel discussions, a delicious catered lunch, and exclusive access to the Sunalta patio at the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel.
For more information visit: https://stratcann.com/growing-relationships/
Workforce Management in AirMed 5
AirMed simplifies compliance by tracking and logging every action and ensures audit readiness with reports and analytics.
Employees only have access to functions and data that relates to their job responsibilities. System Administrators can only access data through approved computers utilizing a VPN connection.
And AirMed offers licensing by facility size rather than by individual user to encourage producers to configure individual accounts for every worker.
Our system improves quality management by allowing producers to identify gaps in employee knowledge and skills.
To see for yourself what AirMed can do, click the Request Demo button at the top of the page.
For more information visit our Software page.
Business of Cannabis Leadership Summit: April 24 in Toronto
Business of Cannabis: Toronto will bring together influential Canadian business leaders spearheading the industry, key investors and on the ground policy makers to discuss the next 5-years of business in the country and how imminent reform might affect the shape of the market there.
In this leadership summits, Business of Cannabis brings together global players, alongside financial and political figures for half-day laser focused program and high-level networking — to utilise data, insights and knowledge in order to arm businesses to best navigate the next phase of Canadian cannabis.
For more information visit: https://www.cannabistoronto.live/
Visit AirMed at the Craft Cannabis Summit: Apr 19-21 in Prince George
The BC Craft Farmers Co-Op (BCCFC) will be holding the 2024 BC Craft Farmers Cannabis Summit from April 19-21 in Prince George, BC on the traditional territory of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. BC craft cannabis farmers, processors, independent retailers, Indigenous organizations, government officials, and other sector leaders are invited to participate in a three-day Summit that will put a spotlight on one of BC’s best-kept cannabis secrets.
“In addition to showcasing the diversity of BC’s cannabis sector, the 2024 BC Craft Farmers Cannabis Summit will benefit the local economy and shine a light on how medical cannabis access can safely treat chronic disease and opioid addiction,” said BCCFC Vice President Richard Willems. “We look forward to rolling out the green carpet and safely celebrating cannabis together in Prince George on 4/20/24.”
BCCFC was established in 2020 under the BC Cooperatives Act to help BC’s craft cannabis farmers transition to the legal marketplace, protect BC’s global cannabis brand, and make sure medical and recreation consumers have access to the best quality cannabis in the world.
AirMed is proud to participate in this event, so drop by our booth to see the latest software innovations and learn what enterprise cannabis management can do for you.
For more information visit: https://www.bccraftfarmerscoop.com/2024-bc-craft-farmers-cannabis-summit/
ISO, SCC and the Canadian Cannabis Industry
ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 170 national standards bodies.
Through its members, ISO brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges.
In Canada, the ISO is represented by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). A Crown corporation, SCC was established by an Act of Parliament in 1970 to foster and promote voluntary standardization in Canada. SCC is independent of government in its policies and operations, although it is financed partially by Parliamentary appropriation.
When Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, SCC set about creating standards for the new industry believing that standards are essential for an effectively regulated marijuana market. These standards were considered groundbreaking when published in October of 2022.
ISO IWA-37, “Safety, security and sustainability of cannabis facilities and operations” is available for purchase through ISO in three parts.
Part 1 (ISO IWA 37-1:2022) covers requirements for the safety of cannabis buildings, equipment and oil extraction operations. https://www.iso.org/standard/84023.html
Part 2 (ISO IWA 37-2:2022) covers requirements for the secure handling of cannabis and cannabis products. https://www.iso.org/standard/84024.html
Part 3 (ISO IWA 37-3:2022) covers good production practices (GPP). https://www.iso.org/standard/84025.html
Taken as a whole, these documents provide invaluable direction to legislative bodies and emerging companies and help to create a safe, legal market for adults who use cannabis.
For more information from SCC visit: https://www.scc.ca/en/news-events/news/2022/new-guidance-from-iso-international-workshop-safe-cannabis-production
For more information from ISO visit: https://www.iso.org/en/contents/news/2022/10/standards_safe_legal_cannabis.html
To learn more about how AirMed helps you meet these standards, visit our Compliance page.
If you’d like to learn about our quality management and GPP offerings or discuss your specific needs, please give us a call at 1-877-313-2442 or use one of the contact forms.
AirMed Named Best Cannabis Management Software Company in Commercial Cannabis Awards
AirMed has been awarded the title of Best Cannabis Management Software Company by Global Health & Pharma magazine in the Commercial Cannabis Awards for 2023.
“We’re so proud to win this award,” said Justin Hearn, president and CEO of AirMed Canada Systems Inc. “This is the third time we’ve been recognized in GHP’s Commercial Cannabis Awards. But being named Best Cannabis Management Software Company is a true honour.”
The team at GHP wrote that the award “attests to the dedicated efforts of the whole team at AirMed Canada Systems Inc.!”
To determine the results, Global Health & Pharma’s judging panel and research team “consider the commitment, expertise, and innovation shown by nominees through nomination information, voting information, any supporting evidence that you have supplied, along with the results from their own extensive period of fact-checking and research.”
From all of us at AirMed, thank-you GHP for this tribute.
See our award on the GHP website here: https://www.ghp-news.com/winners/airmed-canada-systems-inc-3/
Read about AirMed in a previous awards magazine here: https://www.ghp-news.com/issues/commercial-cannabis-awards-2021/10/
Learn more about the GHP Cannabis Awards here: https://www.ghp-news.com/awards/commercial-cannabis-awards/
If you’d like to learn more about AirMed and why it was given this honour, please visit our software page: AirMed Software
And drop by our Customers page to see how we are helping businesses just like yours: AirMed Customers
AirMed Plugin for Your WordPress Website
The AirMed WordPress plugin can pull information from your AirMed account to showcase your brands and products in an online catalog. Content stored in your AirMed database is published directly to your WordPress web pages.
Use the pre-designed theme options in your AirMed plugin settings to determine how your catalog will appear on your website.
View your choices in a visual interface installed on your WordPress dashboard. Save the settings to see the finished result on your web page.
Although the catalog appears on your website, all product details are stored in AirMed. Payments are processed by the merchant solution provider with no card data passing through AirMed. Patient information is encrypted by Canada’s most secure hosting facility. With support for monitored intrusion prevention and monitored firewall, your records have the highest level of protection.
As an AirMed customer, you install a simple plugin onto your WordPress website. The plugin installs a visual interface in your WordPress dashboard.
Then add a snippet of shortcode to the page where you want your catalog to appear. The shortcode pulls directly from your AirMed database, which contains all your products complete with images, descriptions and pricing.
Customers interacting with the product catalog remain on your website throughout the shopping experience rather than being transferred to a portal site.
The WordPress plugin interfaces with our application programming interface (API) to embed information from the AirMed database directly onto your website.
Change the style, format, and position of catalog elements using the plugin settings and see how the elements will appear on your website before committing. When you find the combination you like, save your settings and refresh the web page.
For more information on these new features or to book a demo of AirMed to see them for yourself, click the Request Demo button at the top of the page or use any of the contact forms.
In the meantime visit our Intro to AirMed 5 page.
GS1 Trend Report 2023/2024
Selling any product, including cannabis, starts with a unique identification number from GS1. The GS1 (Global Standards 1) organization is a neutral, global collaboration platform that brings industry leaders, government, regulators, academia, and associations together to develop standards-based solutions to address the challenges of data exchange.
GS1—which has local Member Organisations in 116 countries, over two million user companies and 10 billion transactions every day—helps ensure that there is a common language of business across the globe. GS1 manages the Global Trade Item Number or GTIN, which identifies companies and their products and services using barcode data.
“Trend Research 2023-2024” is a report published recently by GS1 that discusses the top business trends in the world. Topics include data privacy, supply chain digitalisation, traceability and new technologies.
“A cornerstone of any digital transformation are the concepts that are core to the GS1 system: globally unique identification, a common data language, a commitment to interoperability and a firm belief that business value achieved through data sharing is amplified through the use of standards.”
For more information and to download the report visit:
https://www.gs1.org/resources/articles/trend-research-2023-2024-innovation-world-continuous-disruption
Alberta Loosens Cannabis Regulations
Alberta is changing provincial cannabis regulations to “give retailers more time to focus on their business, while ensuring health, safety, and security remain a top priority.”
The Alberta government made the announcement in December 2023 in a media release titled, “Reducing red tape for cannabis retailers.”
On January 31, 2024, the following improvements to the Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation will come into force:
- Licensed cannabis retailers can operate temporary sales locations at adults-only events like trade shows and festivals.
- Cannabis retailers can keep their products in locked display cases when the store is closed rather than moving everything into a secured storage room at the close of every business day.
- Restrictions are removed on sales and transfers between cannabis retailers and to further allow Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis to establish resale markup limits.
Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, was quoted as saying, “We’ve been looking at the cannabis market to determine what’s working, what needs to be improved, and what’s redundant or unnecessary while protecting public health and safety. These changes are the result of our latest work to help curb the illegal cannabis industry and continue providing choices Albertans can trust.”
Stratcann, one of Canada’s cannabis news platforms, reported, “…a media representative for the AGLC tells StratCann that the ‘policies and processes to support cannabis licensees who are interested in operating temporary sales locations are in development and will be shared with cannabis stakeholders prior to the implementation date.’”
The CBC reported, “In Edmonton and Calgary, city bylaws already allow smoking or vaping cannabis at outdoor festivals and public events, but only in designated areas. And in those cases, selling cannabis on site isn’t allowed… The changes will allow licensed cannabis retailers to set up temporary sales at adults-only events, like trade shows and festivals. They also ease some of the restrictions around how store owners can transfer product between different locations and lift the requirement to store product in a secure area off the shop floor while the store is closed.”
Cannabis in Alberta is regulated by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) ministry.
To read the Alberta government media release visit: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=89500F3BC265B-E9F5-13F7-DA8506A53DD281BE
To read the Stratcann article visit: https://stratcann.com/news/alberta-announces-several-changes-to-retail-cannabis-regulations-through-red-tape-reduction/
To read the CBC article visit: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-to-allow-cannabis-sales-at-adults-only-events-1.7064117
For more information about cannabis in Alberta visit: https://aglc.ca/
Happy New Year!
Can you believe that 2024 is the 10th year AirMed has been in business? It’s true. We started in 2014!
A lot has happened in our industry during those 10 years, some good and some not-so-good. But we want you to know that we pledge our commitment to continued hard work and innovation, and we see great things on the horizon.
As we look ahead to the coming year, we send best wishes for a future filled with success and abundance to all our industry. Expect 2024 to be a year of new vistas and exciting possibilities for cannabis in Canada. Here’s to moving forward with positivity and purpose.
From everyone at AirMed, Happy New Year!
Season's Greetings
The staff at AirMed would like to wish all our industry the best this holiday season.
And we’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported us this past year. We value the connections we’ve made with clients, future clients and partners as well as with other industry members.
Looking forward to working with you in the future, may this season bring you peace and joy.
AirMed Named Most Innovative Cannabis Management Software Company
Innovation in Business magazine has named AirMed “Most Innovative Cannabis Management Software Company” in the Technology Innovator Awards for 2023.
This awards program celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses in the dynamic world of technology. “Innovation in Business recognizes the paramount importance of acknowledging the remarkable contributions made by businesses in the ever-evolving technology sector.”
“We’re proud to receive this Technology Innovator Award,” said Justin Hearn, president and CEO of AirMed Canada Systems. “Innovation is one of the driving forces behind AirMed. Recognition like this is an acknowledgement of the hard work we put into anticipating and meeting our industry’s needs.”
On behalf of all the staff at AirMed, we’d like to thank Innovation in Business for honouring us with this award. We’d also like to thank our customers who motivate us to give them the best we can.
To read about our award at Innovation in Business visit:
https://www.innovationinbusiness.com/winners/airmed-canada-systems-inc/To read the media announcement about the Technology Innovators winners for 2023, visit: https://www.innovationinbusiness.com/innovation-in-business-announces-the-winners-of-the-technology-innovator-awards-2023/
To see what we’re doing that helped us win this award, visit our AirMed 5 page.
For more information about all our awards, visit our About page.
Important Cannabis Council of Canada Excise Tax Request
Cannabis Council of Canada surveyed licensed producers and has released their findings in a report that you can access here: https://cannabis-council.ca/files/advocacy/C3-Excise-survey.pdf
But that’s not the end of this story. In fact, it’s just the beginning. CCC announced that after bringing their excise tax survey results to Ottawa during the Grass on the Hill Summit last month, the Department of Finance wants to learn more.
“The Department of Finance would like to get a deeper understanding of how excise tax impacts License Holders’ financial positions, and how different rate models can help the long-term viability of our sector.”
This is where you come in.
CCC is asking Health Canada License Holders who pay excise tax to provide the Canadian government with a confidential look at their financials for 2022. Note that deadline to respond: November 30, 2023.
For details and to access the CCC excise model spreadsheet use the contact information below before the November 30 deadline!
Email CCC directly at hello @ cannabis-council.ca
If the email link doesn’t work, visit the Cannabis Council of Canada website for contact information: https://cannabis-council.ca/
MJBizDaily Publishes Series on Government Funding for Canadian Producers
In the first article of a series, MJBiz Daily reported “More Canadian cannabis companies are tapping government funding sources to finance research and other projects as private-sector capital has become harder to come by.”
That article, written by MJBiz Daily International Editor Matt Lamers, was published September 28, 2023 with the title “Canadian cannabis companies tap government funding programs.”
Lamers wrote, “MJBizDaily found that more than 3 million Canadian dollars ($2.2 million) worth of federal funding was provided to almost two dozen companies over the past year, according to the government’s Grants and Contributions portal.”
The second article, published October 3, 2023, reported that “Cannabis-related agricultural businesses based in Alberta are eligible for provincial funding under two programs if they meet certain requirements, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation told MJBizDaily.”
The latest installment, published November 16, 2023, reported that the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food explained via email that “federally licensed and commercial cannabis production is eligible for many of its programs and services.”
The author wrote, “Federally licensed cannabis producers in British Columbia are eligible to apply for a host of government programs, some of which provide funding, including the provincial portion of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.”
Intro to AirMed5 Booklet
We’re so excited about the release of AirMed5 that we’ve created a booklet describing the new software in detail. This document covers all the features in the initial release.
- Re-imagined interface and user experience
- Fully customizable tables with custom columns
- Built-in report, label and e-form designers
- Business intelligence designer
- SOP library with built-in SOP editor
- Automated QMS incident management
- Task-based workflows with support for task templates and automated task scheduling
- Product plans
- Simplified packaging and shipping
To receive a PDF of this booklet by email, please send a request to sales @ airmed.ca or fill out one of our request demo contact forms.
In the meantime, visit our AirMed 5 web page.
Industry Leaders Attend Global CanExec Summit
The annual Global Cannabis Executive Summit was held last week at The Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto, Canada.
Justin Hearn, President and CEO of AirMed Canada Systems, was invited to the summit to provide a software vendor perspective.
“This summit featured panels of C-suite executives from many leading Canadian cannabis companies,” Hearn said. “The organizers curated frank and productive discussions about the state of the industry and many of the current challenges. Hats off to an excellent event.”
This invitation-only event was attended by decision-makers from leading producers with 90+ percent of the speakers holding C-suite roles.
The 4th Annual Global Cannabis Executive Summit will be held October 27-28, 2024 in Toronto.
For more information about the past or upcoming event, visit https://canexecsummit.com/
In the News Five Years After Cannabis Legalization in Canada
This month marked the fifth anniversary of the legalization of cannabis in Canada, and news outlets offered various views on the results so far. While some of the articles discussed the challenges and struggles facing the industry, others looked at different aspects.
CTV News reports that “Five years after cannabis legalization, 64 per cent of Canadians are in support of the move.” The article published on the CTV News website was about the results of an online survey conducted by Research Co. “Support for the legalization of marijuana is highest among Canadians aged 55 and over (66 per cent),” Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. said in a press release. “The proportions are lower among those aged 35-to-54 (56 per cent) and those aged 18-to-34 (48 per cent).”
The Canadian Medical Association Journal published “Outcomes associated with nonmedical cannabis legalization policy in Canada: taking stock at the 5-year mark.” This scholarly article reported, “Cannabis legalization in Canada appears not to have been the public health disaster anticipated by some of its opponents, but it cannot be described as a comprehensive or unequivocal success for public health either.”
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/39/E1351#ref-11
The Royal Gazette published “Canada and cannabis at Year 5,” which focused on three major aspects: the cannabis market, public health and social justice. “Canadian experience demonstrates there have been problems that must be responded to. But the ending of criminalisation that especially burdened Indigenous and Black people, the creation of a legal market providing untainted cannabis — the strength of which is clear — and the confronting of the illicit one that makes vast sums of money, pays no taxes and has no regard for the quality of what it sells must weigh heavily in the balance.”
https://www.royalgazette.com/opinion-writer/opinion/article/20231028/canada-and-cannabis-at-year-5/
What We Heard Report
The federal government released a report that summarizes what a “five-person expert panel has heard over the past year as it engaged with almost 500 stakeholders in nearly 90 meetings across Canada.”
The report, titled “What We Heard,” describes the scope of the engagement and summarizes the responses in several categories including: public health, impact on young persons, impact on First Nations and more.
Read about the expert panel and review here: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations/cannabis-act-legislative-review/expert-panel/legislative-review-cannabis-act-report.html
Read the report here: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/laws-regulations/cannabis-act-legislative-review/expert-panel/legislative-review-cannabis-act-report.html
Stratcann summarized the report in an article published on their website on October 10, 2023, the same day the report was released.
Read the Stratcann article here: https://stratcann.com/other/canada-releases-what-we-heard-report-on-the-cannabis-act-review/
Global News followed up the release of the report with an in-depth article on the state of the cannabis industry in Canada. In the feature published on October 16, 2023, Global News offers commentary by several experts including George Smitherman, president and chief executive of the Cannabis Council of Canada.
Read the Global News article here: https://globalnews.ca/news/10027112/cannabis-act-review-canada/