Dosist CEO and Founder Josh Campbell Reports from Canadian Senate Hearings on Bill C-45

Dosist founder and CEO Josh Campbell testified to the Canadian senate last week on recommendations to the group on Bill C-45 The Cannabis Act.

James West:    Hey, welcome back to Midas Letter Live. In this segment, we’re going to be talking to Josh Campbell. He’s the president of Dosist, and Josh has just come from testifying to the Canadian Senate about the imminent recreational rules in Canada. Josh, thanks for joining me today.

Josh Campbell: Thanks for having me.

James West:    Josh, tell me: what was the reason that you were testifying to the Senate, and what were you testifying about, exactly?

Josh Campbell: Well, we were asked to participate in some of the Senate hearings to help clarify the challenges around cannabis in Canada. So our products, as your viewers may be aware, right now falls between cracks in legislation, and you know, given the fact that this change to the Federal legalization of cannabis is such a monumental shift for Canada, we wanted to make sure that the Senators have all the information to make the right decision.

James West:    Okay. And the question for most of the general public is, are we going to actually see the implementation of recreational legislation by the Senate? Is it going to pass the Senate? Did you get any colour on that while you were there?

Josh Campbell: Well, certainly the questions that were asked were good ones by the various Senators, and the responses, I thought, were well thought out by the other participants. I would anticipate that the vote will be favourable in June, when the Senate does vote. There’s going to be a host of amendments made to it as politics go within Canada, but what we’re advocating for is making sure that vapes and concentrates come into effect as early as possible, and that’s still to be determined.

James West:    And that’s because the business model of Dosist is vapes and concentrates?

Josh Campbell: That’s exactly correct. So we make the only dose-controlled vaporization device currently in the marketplace today.

James West:    Okay. So then, did you get a sense from the, sort of, the atmosphere in the Senate that the inclination of that body was positive in moving forward on a timely basis, or did you get the sense that there was more resistance to the timeline that has been put forth by Prime Minister Trudeau, and that they’re more inclined to try to get that one-year delay that they’ve sort of indicated they’d like to see?

Josh Campbell: Now, I think a full one-year delay is highly unlikely. The government’s mandate is to stamp out the black market, and if you walk down the street of any major Canadian city today, you can easily purchase vape products as well as concentrates relatively easily. So by delaying that action to allow the regulation of those products, it’s just going to further perpetuate the black market. And the response we saw from the Senators today is, they understand that, and now they’ve got the data to make that comprehensive decision.

James West:    Oh, okay, well that’s a relief, because it didn’t see that they comprehended that basic sort of relationship between the proliferation of black market products and that position. So then, from where you sit, as the president of Dosist, how soon do you get a sense that we will have the ability to purchase vapes such as the Dosist product line and other sort of derivatives of dried flower and resin?

Josh Campbell: Well I think, you know, I’ll answer the second part of your question first, is that derivative is a very large market, many different form factors. What I think we’ll see is a better understanding of what the criteria are around dose control, how many milligrams per unit, and things like that. That, we’re confident is going to get clarified relatively frequently, but if I had to guess at what a date may be that it will actually pass and go live in Canada, it would simply be a gamble at this point.

James West:    I see. Speculation. Okay, let’s talk a bit about Dosist and your products. I’m curious as to – it seems like, you know, the value proposition is apparent: precision dosing in a reliable product form consistently every time you use it. How did you come up with this idea, what’s your background, and how old is the whole product line?

Josh Campbell: Well, the company’s been around in various stages for three years. You may have known us as Humboldt before we changed our name at the end of December 2017, and the idea was really to help take the stigma out of cannabis. And how do we really understand why people are using cannabis? If you look at mainstream media, many would have you believe it’s simply for intoxication. We found through our research that’s absolutely not the case. People are using it to help sleep, people are using the products to help relieve pain, helping to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder…so instead of going the traditional route where we’re developing strains and flower to combat that, we thought, well, why don’t we derive formulas that are consistent just like every other consumer product in the world, and that are actually designed to help people do it?

So we do that by creating products like this one, like our sleep product that simplifies the experience, and actually shows people what it does: it actually helps you sleep. So we’re completely strain-agnostic.

The next part is the actual technology that’s involved in our pen. So many people are now talking about dosage, but unless you have the right technology to do it, it’s very, very difficult to do it in a vaporization device. We’ve been able to secure that technology.

James West:    Interesting. So are you associated, affiliated or otherwise partnered with any of the ACMPR licensees in Canada?

Josh Campbell: Yes. We do have relationships in Canada with licensed producer partners.

James West:    Okay. Can you talk about who those are?

Josh Campbell: We haven’t formally announced them yet, and being public entities, we’ll hold that a little close to the vest for the moment.

James West:    Oh, okay. You’re a public entity already?

Josh Campbell: We are not a public entity, but we’ve partnered with public entities.

James West:    Ah, I see. Okay, I appreciate your requirement for candour, then. Oh, so right now, so then, how do I get my hands on your product if I’m a ACMPR-registered client?

Josh Campbell: We welcome you to come down to California. We currently have chosen to only sell in California at the moment, which is the world’s largest, most complicated cannabis market in the world. So right now, we’re Number One and Number Three depending on which part of the market you’re in, in terms of standing with other brands. But we are currently not selling in any other states. We look to make Canada our next geography we enter.

James West:    Fantastic. Is the relationship with the ACMPR grower be exclusive, or will you be providing your technology to producers in other ACMPR growers?

Josh Campbell: Yeah, so unlike many other companies in the space, we do not license our technology; we’re first and foremost a health and wellness brand, and we bring, you know, technology to the marketplace that allows consumers to manage their own health. So with that certainly comes more than just great technology; it comes the formulations, the process, the people, and the consumer relationship.

James West:    You bet. Josh, that’s fascinating. I’m going to follow your company development; I hope to meet you in person in California very soon, and I’m going to look forward to continuing this conversation with you then. Thank you very much for your time today.

Josh Campbell: Thanks, James. Thank you for yours.

Original article: Dosist CEO and Founder Josh Campbell Reports from Canadian Senate Hearings on Bill C-45

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