Karma Koala Podcast 345: Thomas O’Neill – Canadian Cannabis Tourism Alliance (CCTA): When is cannabis tourism not tourism or is it?

A few weeks back i noticed a post about cannabis tourism on Linked In.

It got me thinking and i wrote an edtorial in the weekly Cannabis Law Report Newsletter with some thoughts. (See below)

Thomas came back to me via Linked In disagreeing with my analysis so I invited him on to the Karma Koala podcast to clarify his and the CCTA’s view on what cannabis tourism is. Both on home ground in Canada and in other jurisdictions.

The conversation is illuminating and it appears from the conversation that Thomas sees the notion of “Cannabis Tourism” as more of a means to an end in Canada and that in the final summation it is a way of explaining to both central and provincial government(s) that although “legal”, cannabis, is not as yet integrated into the wider Canadian economy, especially the hospitality industry and the agricultural sector.

Should the cannabis sector reflect the alcohol industry?

Should it be available at music concerts, sports stadiums and restaurants?

We discuss these issues and more.

We also discuss thought on other jurisdictions with different cultural mores, political systems and yes cultures. How should cannabis be presented, is cannabis tourism even within the realms of reality

Have a listen to Thomas and see what you think.

Thomas O’Neill

Interim Finance Chair

Thomas O’Neill is Managing Partner of Aggressive Organics Inc. and as a founding board member of the Canadian Cannabis Tourism Alliance (CCTA) is stepping in as interim Finance Chair to cover maternity leave. He is a cannabis legalization advocate focused on developing cannabis hospitality and tourism models across emerging and established markets. He brings a systems-driven leadership approach, with experience spanning commercial database leadership and agricultural technology in the cannabis, agriculture, and tourism sectors.

https://www.canadiancannabistourism.com/leadership

https://www.linkedin.com/in/butterbaron/

https://www.canadiancannabistourism.com/

The Canadian Cannabis Tourism Alliance is a federally recognized tourism industry association representing the Canadian cannabis sector.

As an alliance of cannabis industry professionals and businesses we advocate for a more functional framework of legislation that supports cannabis consumption and sales to a consumer market.

Through direct engagment of federal, provincial and municiple governments our membership aspire to educate and aid in the implementation of recreational cannabis sales and service in hospitality offerings.

Cannabis Law Report Editorial 26 October 2026

I have been thinking about the “Cannabis Tourism” push for a while now and have been fairly equanimous in my thinking on the topic over the past couple of years.

I’ve watched the likes of US companies go into Jamaica and create resort based “experiences” that in no way benefit the wider population and I’ve seen the Thai government struggle with the explosion of cannabis tourism attracting some fairly unpleasant characters from around the world and locally to take advantage of the laissez faire path they started out on.

Yes the fault does lie to a great extent at the door of the Thai policymakers and politicians who naively hoped they could both benefit financially and politically from the framework (if you can call it that) they created and have now had to back pedal furiously as less pleasant aspects of human nature have stepped into the breach.

Like most US state regulators I am increasingly erring on the side of caution in my thinking as more events and conferences pop up extolling the virtues of cannabis tourism, in of itself a suitably vague terminology that signifies little to me in 2026.

Last week I read this post on Linked in

The final weekend of September is a significant one for cannabis tourism, and this year the epicenter of cannabis tourism activity is Niagara Falls, Ontario. September 27 is gaining recognition as World Cannabis Tourism Day, a global initiative designed to recognize and promote the social, cultural, and economic significance of cannabis and hemp travel within the broader global tourism space.On Saturday, September 26, the Canadian Cannabis Tourism Awards ceremony, presented by the CCTA: Canadian Cannabis Tourism Alliance and Kelly’s Green Lounge, takes over Plush Imperial on Queen Street in downtown Niagara Falls. This night, honoring the hard work and achievements of those working to advance the cannabis industry’s potential in tourism and hospitality, will be followed by a virtual World Cannabis Tourism Day Summit on Sunday, September 27.The action doesn’t end on Saturday. Sunday, September 27, Reverend Kelly, joined by co-hosts Marcela Ikeda, Berta Kaguako, and Sam Teferi, will moderate a live panel of over 50 speakers from around the world during the 2026 World Cannabis Tourism Day Summit, a global, virtual event. From noon until 4:20 PM (EST), each of these speakers, who hail from places which include Canada, USA, Netherlands, Japan, Ghana, Nepal, Jamaica, Scotland, Dominica, Argentina, and Spain amongst others, will speak of the state of cannabis tourism in their nation and reflect upon how their businesses and community initiatives can support the growing international cannabis tourism industry. The summit will be broadcast for all to see, free of charge, online. A number of watch parties are also scheduled to take place during the panel in British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Scotland.Learn More: https://lnkd.in/dqHrai4U

I responded in the comments

How can somebody from Japan talk about cannabis tourism – am i dumb in thinking that’s one of the stupidest things i’ve read this week. Also cannabis tourism in Ghana, yer kidding me! I also note you don’t include anybody from Thailand to talk about the negative aspects of “cannabis tourism” Yes the laissez faire approach by govt there was partly to blame for the situation they found themselves in but it was also a canary in the coalmine about how “cannabis tourism” can get away from govt very quickly and cause negative effects further down the line for everybody else, ask the Dutch they’ve been dealing with it for 50 years and have had enough. I find this whole cannabis discussion somewhat bizarre and it suggests to me really it’s all about revenue generation for a few rather the fantasy peddled about sustainable cannabis tourism helping community – it all reminds me of the title of that eponymous album by the Sex Pistols.

In response i received this mini lecture

Check out the Japanese Taima Museum, the Magokoro restaurant, Tokyo Urban Wellness, the Chamber of Cannabis Industry Ghana, Hive Earth, the Ghana HempTech Conference, just to name a few. Or better yet, why don’t you listen to the summit and hear first-hand from those on the ground working to grow the global cannabis community across the world. Just because cannabis industry tourism may not look the same in some places as it might in say USA or Netherlands, that does not mean it is not legitimate and there is no point to discredit the pioneers working to promote the benefits of and normalize the plant, both within and outside of their nation’s legal frameworks. “Cannabis sativa” is the name of plant family that includes both high THC strains as well as hemp. To say the people in nations where access to cannabis is largely limited to CBD / low THC variants are not legitimate members of our international cannabis tourism community is not only untrue, but an insult to those pioneers who are working hard to improve the future of cannabis in their nations and for the greater good of the world as a whole.

I’ll take these points one by one

Firstly, Japan, it’s great to see that in such a conservative society there are those willing to step up and build a non THC business environment based around CBD products. But let’s be clear this is not a cannabis business yes I’ll get to that later. We are talking about what can be loosely termed the “Wellness” industry.

Are people going to fly in from overseas or come from other parts of Japan for “Cannabis Tourism”. I think not.

It’s akin to saying we are going to create a nail bar tourism sector!

The closest comparison i can think of is people travelling to get some plastic surgery or get their teeth done because it’s cheaper. Is that really the case here? The language is vague, the terminology is deliberately fuzzy and frankly it’s just not good enough. Japan will take a very long time to come to the party on cannabis and especially THC so I’m placing this particular example at the less savoury end of the nutraceutical game.

Turkey are playing this game at the moment, already known for dentistry and minor surgery I note an uptick of men standing in group photos extolling to benefits of medical cannabis, If there were any lawyers or journalists left, not in prison, I’d like to get their thoughts on this!

Remember this model has already had a false start in another part of Asia, In Hong Kong prior to Covid i heard the same language the same terminology and the authorities came down on it like a ton of bricks. People who have never spent more than two weeks holiday in the region profess to know what they are talking about and completely mis-read the multitude of cultures and their cues in the region.

Secondly, Ghana. This is fantasyland stuff here. Ghanna has issued two licenese to grow hemp, nothing has happened and the crop if it arrives anytime in the next 24 months is detined for export. Again it is great to see the energy and discussions happening in Ghana but there’s a long way to go before the country has a structured domestic medical market something I would be pushing way ahead of “Cannabis Tourism”.

With regard to people being pioneers, this is straight up Linked In obsfucation terminology. The word is entrepreneurs.

Nothing wrong with entrepreneurs even if i’m not particularly interested in their harebrained money making schemes, that’s who they are and that’s what they do. It’s all about making money and having bright shiny things.

If you want a pioneer i’ll give you one. Dr Prosper Sievu from Zambia who has worked hand in hand with that country’s government over the last few years in a quiet, calm and structured manner to create a domestic environment that supplies medical cannabis directly to hospitals under an insurance scheme for citizens. That’s the sort of work pioneers do. He’s now undertaking a phd to understand how cannabis might better serve the needs of cancer patients.

And thankyou for the lecture about the plant, legitimacy etc. My question is what on earth has this to do with “cannabis tourism” , what is cannabis tourism and do we really need it as a “thing” ?

Have any of these questions been posed. I would have thought one would travel domestically or internationally and if there’s a regime in place that allows you to consume cannabis then you can choose to do that as part of your wider enjoyment and experience of that city, country, region and in the correct cultural context not some Disneyfied cannabis consumption knees up.

I note the the author of the post is based in Amsterdam a place that is now after 50+ years sick and tired of the cannabis ananomoly it has become and if they weren’t so polite and practical would rid themselves of dealing with it entirely.

I’m to be persuaded that cannabis tourism as it currently defines itself is little more than a money grab and there are plenty more inportant issues to deal with regard to this plant. That said if I have the time i’ll definitely listen to what the Scottish person says because at least they’ll hopefully approach the topic with a little dour humour. A lot of this is still in the realm of men of a certain age wearing their baseball hats back to front and banging on excitedly about nothing in particular.