Business View Magazine - October 2018

340 341 CANNAROYALTY CORPORATION ognized as a legal substance in Canada. Founded and headquartered in Ottawa, CannaRoyalty Corp. sees many challenges ahead for the country as it attempts to regulate this misunderstood and often controversial industry. CannaRoyalty’s U.S. operations, however, are evolving quickly and the focus is currently on the plethora of opportunities in the California cannabis scene. Business View Magazine recently spoke with CannaRoyalty Corp. President and General Coun- sel, Afzal Hasan, who gave us his candid views on the cannabis industry, including the importance of social responsibility and his company’s vision for the future.With education being a key compo- nent of the global cannabis dialogue, there is much to be gleaned and appreciated from our conversa- tion. The following is an edited transcript. BVM: What was the mindset that led to the formation of CannaRoyalty Corp.? Hasan: “The company was formed three years ago, initially to take advantage of a growing trend in the market involving the cannabis industry and a separation between the Canadian industry, where our capital was just starting to flow from investors, and the American industry where cap- ital was in short supply due to legal constraints and issues, but where opportunities were far more attractive and lucrative.At that early stage, our founder and CEO,Marc Lustig, began to raise capital in Canada and deploy it into higher value opportunities in the U.S., and Canada as well, over time.That was the genesis of the company. “Marc had a strong belief in brand power.That was a large part of what attracted me and a number of others to this company.That belief has carried us forward into our present business model,which is fundamentally different fromwhat it was a year ago and what we’ve seen from other cannabis compa- nies.Our transformation and shift is nowwell in progress, based on disclosures we’ve made to the market and acquisitions we’ve completed.” BVM: What is the goal of that transformation? Hasan: “Ultimately, our vision in five to ten years is to be a household name with many brands. Think, Pepsi-Frito Lay or Proctor & Gam- ble. The general concept would be a company