{"id":1583,"date":"2021-10-06T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T11:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=180151"},"modified":"2021-10-06T11:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T11:20:00","slug":"this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1583","title":{"rendered":"This restaurateur wants cannabis on menus across Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>This restaurateur wants cannabis on menus across Canada &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.1.2 (Yoast SEO v17.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><label for=\"select-province\">Which part of Canada?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__age hidden\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--unavailable hidden\">Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">An Ontario man believes cannabis belongs in restaurants, and he\u2019s trying to make that happen. It will be a difficult journey, but this is not the first big challenge he has faced.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Smith has been through hell. He was diagnosed with Crohn\u2019s disease and a swallowing disorder last year. In the months that followed, he suffered from blood clots in his heart, lungs and other parts of his body.<\/p>\n<p>Smith had to leave his job at a hospital near his home in London, Ontario and is now on disability. But instead of breaking him, the adversity has made him stronger.<\/p>\n<p>Smith is now a man on a mission. He aims to change laws to allow cannabis-infused foods to be prepared and sold in restaurants and other eateries.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-medical-cannabis-inspired-smith-s-advocacy\">Medical cannabis inspired Smith\u2019s advocacy<\/h2>\n<p>The 35-year-old father started on the path toward advocacy when he fell ill. <\/p>\n<p>His specialist prescribed a corticosteroid, which caused blood clots. Smith didn\u2019t respond well to prescription&nbsp;painkillers. They&nbsp;caused slurred speech, blurred vision and problems with mobility.<\/p>\n<p>He finally tried cannabis and it succeeded where conventional medications had failed. Although he still faces health challenges, Smith is faring much better than he was.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Jeremy Smith&#8217;s push for legislative change is fuelled by a pair of petitions, an electronic one on the House of Commons&#8217; website and another aimed at the Ontario government that can be found at over 100 cannabis retailers in the province <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LdnOnt?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LdnOnt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LHxjq8y99y\">https:\/\/t.co\/LHxjq8y99y<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 980 CFPL London News (@AM980News) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AM980News\/status\/1417987382918451200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 21, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Inspired by his experience with cannabis, Smith became interested in opening a restaurant that would serve cannabis-infused dishes in-house and also send them to customers elsewhere as pre-packaged meals. <\/p>\n<p>He even picked a name for the restaurant\u2014Les Munchies. But Smith, who once worked in the food industry for five years, discovered there were legal obstacles in his way.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-change-is-needed-on-both-federal-and-provincial-levels\">Change is needed on both federal and provincial levels<\/h2>\n<p>Under the federal Cannabis Act, restaurants aren\u2019t allowed to make foods containing cannabis. <\/p>\n<p>In fact, cannabis products can\u2019t even be manufactured in the same building as other edible products. Even if restaurants <em>were<\/em> allowed to make cannabis-infused food under federal law, they would need provincial approval to sell it.<\/p>\n<p>Government officials told Smith the first step in changing the law is providing proof of concept\u2014evidence that an idea is feasible. <\/p>\n<p>In response, Smith launched two petitions calling for change.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img alt class=\"wp-image-180281 has-ll lazyload\" width=\"724\" height=\"806\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>\u201cAmazing day today! Spoke with these two men about my plan with the cannabis food industry and helping indigenous communities!\u201d (Smith, via Linkedin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The first one calls for change at the federal level. It was posted on the <a href=\"https:\/\/petitions.ourcommons.ca\/en\/Petition\/Details?Petition=e-3473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House of Commons website<\/a> in July and garnered almost 400 signatures in two months including one from Timmins-James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus.<\/p>\n<p>The second petition consists of handwritten signatures, and it can be found in more than a hundred cannabis retail outlets in southern Ontario, from Hamilton to Windsor. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany MPPs have expressed support for this initiative,\u201d says Smith. \u201cThey think this is the year to make the [legislative] change because of damage caused by the pandemic. They see this initiative as a way to help a battered economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith has already collected more than 10,000 signatures and plans to submit the petition to some Ontario MPPs before they return to Queen\u2019s Park in October.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-restaurants-canada-isn-t-totally-on-board\">Restaurants Canada isn\u2019t totally on board<\/h2>\n<p>Smith\u2019s campaign would benefit from the backing of the restaurant industry too, but it seems unlikely he will get it. <\/p>\n<p>Restaurants Canada, a national association representing the foodservice industry, has said that if cannabis is permitted to be sold in eateries, it should be sold in those that already exist. <\/p>\n<p>Not&nbsp;in new&nbsp;cannabis-focused establishments like the one Smith envisions opening\u2014that could be cost-prohibitive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy guess would be that, in order to avoid cross-contamination between cannabis and non-cannabis food items, entirely partitioned preparation areas might be required,\u201d says Chad Finkelstein, a partner at Dale &amp; Lessmann, a Toronto-based law firm that provides legal expertise for the cannabis industry. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat would result in considerable expense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, Smith is determined to push for legislative change and he remains optimistic. He draws his greatest inspiration from individuals who, like him, rely on cannabis to treat health conditions. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people have told me about their health struggles,\u201d he says. \u201cIt feels amazing to be doing something to help them. I never saw this as a career path but I feel I\u2019m destined to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada.jpg\" alt=\"Randi Druzin's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Randi Druzin<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Randi Druzin is an author and journalist in Toronto. She has worked at several major media outlets, including the National Post and the CBC, and has written for dozens of publications, such as The New York Times, Time magazine, ESPN The Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.ca\/news\/author\/randi-druzin\">View Randi Druzin&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-10-06 17:10:29 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This restaurateur wants cannabis on menus across Canada &#8211; Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? Which part of Canada? Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Sorry, Leafly isn&#8217;t available in your location yet. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. An Ontario man believes cannabis belongs in restaurants, and he\u2019s trying to make that happen. It will be a difficult journey, but this is not the first big challenge he has faced. Jeremy Smith has been through hell. He was diagnosed with Crohn\u2019s disease and a&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/this-restaurateur-wants-cannabis-on-menus-across-canada.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}