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Local company selling high-end cannabis accessories

Aug 29, 2018 | 7:54 AM

Four friends from the Red Deer area are taking a different route into the growing cannabis industry.

Leef Canna offers top-quality cannabis accessories to consumers and is working on partnerships with reputable cannabis brands and retailers in preparation for the October 17 legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada.

CEO Bryce Palmer says they initially looked at opening a dispensary before changing direction.

“We thought let’s try and do some good, change the stigma around this thing they call cannabis. So we decided to become a wholesale distributor providing higher end paraphernalia to dispensaries. Everybody’s going to need something to smoke out of, so why not do it in the nicest fashion possible?”

Palmer says they travelled to several U.S. states where cannabis is legal to find the products they wanted to carry.  

“Dad always said you can’t afford to be cheap. So that was our philosophy – let’s find high-end products that people would be proud to show off.”

Palmer says Leef Canada has made inroads with medical marijuana customers, working with clinics in Calgary and Ontario, by offering products which cater to their needs as well.

“Not everyone wants to smoke the herb, they want the higher concentrated oils,” Palmer noted. “So we found a 3-in-1 vapourizer that’s been a big success with companies in Ontario. We’ve sold nearly $100,000 worth of those already.”

Leef Canada has done about $200,000 in sales since ramping things up in February, Palmer says. The company operates out of a warehouse in Sylvan Lake and hopes to hire additional staff in the coming months to help with inventory and shipping.

Palmer expects it’ll take up to three years for business to settle in at a comfortable level, adding government restrictions will be somewhat of a roadblock early on.

“It’s going to really choke it, I think, and we’re going to have a tough time navigating the waters,” he says. “It’s something that’s changing daily right now and I think they’re very under-prepared and they haven’t consulted the right people to get the information.”

Everyone involved in the cannabis industry is being somewhat cautious until legalization actually happens, Palmer notes. But he fully expects the industry to take off in a big way.

“The sky’s the limit right now. It’s going to be a lot bigger than they think.”