June 19th, 2018 marks a historic day in Canada – it’s when the Senate approved Bill C-45, The Cannabis Act. The act states that recreational cannabis will officially be legal to cultivate, produce, distribute, retail and consume on October 17th, 2018. With four months to prepare for legalization, provinces and local governments appear to be scrambling to create policies that aligns with the legal federal requirements.

On September 27, Tracey Harvey shared reflections on the impact of cannabis legalization on rural economies in an webinar hosted by the Rural Policy Learning Commons. Tracey’s research aims to explore the socioeconomic impacts of legalization, focusing on the challenges and opportunities unique to rural areas of British Columbia. Tracey is currently working on her PhD in Rural Studies at the University of Guelph. You can catch a recording of Tracey’s presentation below:

Further information on Tracey’s research initiative can be found at https://ruralbclegalizationstudy.wordpress.com.