“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” With those words in 1858, Abraham Lincoln warned Americans of the peril that comes when a common cause is undermined by internal division. His warning went unheeded, and two years later, the United States was torn apart by a civil war that lasted five long years and claimed countless lives.
More than a century and a half later, Canada’s cannabis industry faces its own test of unity, not in war, but in purpose. Unless we find common ground and speak with one voice, our sector risks weakening itself from within, just as external forces grow stronger around us.
That lesson is especially relevant today. The federal government’s 2025 budget was a stark reminder of what happens when our industry speaks with disjointed voices.
Despite years of advocacy by an under-resourced industry association representing licensed producers, the budget offered nothing to ease the crushing weight of excise taxes or the regulatory burdens that continue to stifle innovation and growth. Instead, it went in the opposite direction, reducing reimbursement rates for veterans’ and RCMP members’ medical cannabis benefits from $8.50 to $6.00 per gram.
The move, aimed at saving money, directly undermines patient access and the legitimacy of the legal market. For an industry that employs tens of thousands of Canadians and generates billions of dollars in GDP, this omission felt less like an oversight and more like indifference. The message from Ottawa was clear: until we find our collective voice, cannabis will remain an afterthought in Canada’s economic story.
To change this trajectory, Canada’s cannabis sector must unite around a common narrative, one that reminds Canadians this is not a fringe market, but a legitimate, job-creating, tax-paying industry with enormous economic potential. Public opinion shapes political will, and right now, too few Canadians understand the scale of our contribution or the barriers we face.
