Cannabis Law
Canada Guide 2025 : Nationwide - Canada
Band 2
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
+1 416 863 2400About
Provided by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Blakes was one of the first Canadian firms to advise clients on the legalization of cannabis. We have experience of navigating regulation relating to hemp, medical marijuana, edibles and concentrates, vaping, cannabidiol (CBD) and cultivation. The Canadian cannabis market has developed into a fast-evolving and expanding sector that is predicted to exceed C$4.3-billion by 2024.
We act as primary legal counsel to a number of major organizations in the market. Combined with our expertise in the agribusiness sector, our cannabis lawyers are well-positioned to advise producers, retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, financiers, and technology providers in the cannabis market. Our Life Sciences group includes medical marijuana lawyers who advise those entering the medical market as well as established pharmaceutical companies. We also advise clients who, as employers in other sectors, are impacted by the legalization of cannabis.
Our cannabis lawyers are part of a national, multidisciplinary group with cannabis-specific experience and expertise. We advise on financing, public offerings, M&A, regulatory, advertising, labelling and marketing, licensing and regulation, antitrust, legislative process, lobbying compliance, real estate issues, environmental concerns, channel distribution, tax, international trade, anti-money laundering, outsourcing, class actions, employment law and workplace issues, information technology, intellectual property matters and trade secrets.
Chambers Review
Blake, Cassels & Graydon is a full-service law firm with a good reputation in the cannabis space in Canada. It regularly acts for emerging companies and larger organisations on both corporate transactions and regulatory work, including distribution, advertising and marketing matters. The team also advises established businesses on their involvement in the sector and the implications of legalisation.
Work Highlights
- Blakes acted for KPMG in Hrusa et al. v KPMG LLP et al., a proposed class action before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which involved claims of misrepresentations with respect to unlicensed growing and storage of cannabis caused CannTrust’s share price to drop during the summer of 2019. The matter is valued at CAD500 million.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"it is a diverse and comprehensive team that fully meets our needs."
"Blakes has a solid reputation for being able to handle any legal issues one might have."
"it is a diverse and comprehensive team that fully meets our needs."
"Blakes has a solid reputation for being able to handle any legal issues one might have."
Notable Practitioners
Montréal-based Tricia Kuhl co-chairs the the law firm's cannabis group. She has a broad focus and advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, licensing renewals and distribution.
"Tricia Kuhl is Incredibly efficient, manages her team and client very well, and exhibits a profound patience and availability."
"She is very commercially aware in the face of difficulty."