Up in Smoke: Why Canada’s Cannabis Industry is in Trouble

Why are so many Canadian cannabis growers and retailers closing up shop? Five years post-legalization, what's holding the industry back? Speaking of high-profile industries in Canada, new details are showing why Albertans are getting burned by oil and gas. We dig into both stories on this episode of Real Talk. But first... 6:00 | Kevin Spacey has been cleared by a London jury of all charges of sexual assault. Will any studio take a risk with the two-time Academy Award winner? Ryan and Johnny discuss.  15:50 | Matt Lamers covers the business of cannabis for MJBizDaily. He takes us into the (shady?) story of Aleafia's insolvency, and explains why so many businesses are struggling. You'll be surprised to hear how cannabis stacks up to beer revenue-wise, and how Indigenous communities are being frozen out by the Cannabis Act.  CHECK OUT MATT'S WORK: https://mjbizdaily.com/ 57:45 | The Jasper Dark Sky Festival is one of the crown jewels when it comes to ways to explore Jasper National Park. We highlight a few new attractions in store for this year's festival, which promises to be out of this world! #MyJasper Memories is presented by our friends at Tourism Jasper.  CHECK OUT THE JASPER DARK SKY FESTIVAL: https://www.jasperdarksky.travel/ 1:00:40 | If orphan wells and other environmental liabilities are such bad news for Alberta, why doesn't the general public seem to care? Energi Media's Markham Hislop is back with part two of his investigative series Unethical Oil. CHECK OUT MARKHAM'S WORK: https://energi.media/ 1:27:20 | Real Talker "JC" has a solution for Canada's methane problem, as outlined in our Hidden Harm episode on July 20. Ryan reads his email to [email protected]. USE PROMO CODE "AVRJ" FOR 50% OFF A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO ALBERTA VIEWS: https://albertaviews.ca/ 1:37:50 | Our hearts are broken for our dear friend Supriya Dwivedi, who lost her beloved husband Anoop earlier this week. Ryan shares a few thoughts.  EMAIL THE SHOW: [email protected]  BUY KDAYS 50/50 TICKETS IN SUPPORT OF YWCA EDMONTON: https://www.k-days.com/50-50 BECOME A REAL TALK PATRON: https://www.patreon.com/ryanjespersen WEBSITE: https://ryanjespersen.com/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RealTalkRJ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/RealTalkRJ/ TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtalkrj THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.