The Vancouver Sun reports in its Wednesday edition that in the leadup to the legalization of recreational marijuana on Oct. 17, retail dispensaries have thrived in virtually every Canadian city. Guest columnist Mike Harcourt, chairman of True Leaf Medicine, says that law enforcement officials have generally turned a blind eye to illicit pot shops unless there are complaints. The rules of engagement, however, are about to change. Once recreational cannabis is legalized, strict new rules will come into force regulating cannabis production, retail advertising, product labelling and packaging. Limits will be placed on THC content for cannabis oils and oral products, but not for dried or fresh cannabis products. Edible cannabis products will not be legal immediately. Regulations will include several classes of licences for cultivation and processing, including obligations for record-keeping and the type of data that must be provided to government. The Wild West days of the Canadian cannabis industry are numbered. As competition increases and consolidation continues, the leading companies that emerge once the dust settles will be those that make the needs and well-being of the end user their first and foremost priority.