Some of the largest Canadian marijuana companies by market cap have denied to MarketWatch that they have ties to the mob.
According to the agency that is in charge of marijuana licenses, there has been “no evidence” seen.
Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s government-backed news outlet, also known as CBC, had posted a report this week that had said some of the major licensed marijuana producers in the country had “longstanding ties” with the mob.
Canada had aimed to get rid of organized crime from the cannabis business by legalizing recreational marijuana in October.
“A very significant proportion of adults in Canada were choosing to disregard the law, and criminal enterprise had 100% control of the market for production distribution, and were profiting in the billions,” said Bill Blair, Canadian Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Prevention to MarketWatch.
Canadians that have criminal records are not allowed to obtain federally required licenses to grow weed.
“Health Canada has seen no evidence that organized crime has infiltrated any of the more than 130 federally licensed producers,” remarked Eric Morrissette, the spokesman for Health Canada, which gives marijuana companies licenses.
