A full-page ad in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, framed as a plea to the White House and its most prominent occupant, warns the U.S. is “rapidly losing” its competitive advantage to Canada, where recreational pot becomes legal at midnight. Sending product across state lines is impossible, as is the ability for companies to obtain financing from major banks. “The reality is, like it or hate it, you guys are getting a first-mover advantage,” he said of the Canadian industry. As of Wednesday, Canada will be the first G7 member to greenlight legal recreational pot — a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has justified as an effort to better protect young people from the drug’s effects and eliminate the influence of organized crime. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials were set to hold a briefing later Tuesday on how they plan to enforce federal pot laws at Canada-U.S. border crossings.

Source: National Post October 16, 2018 12:46 UTC