According to Forbes magazine,* marijuana is “Canada’s most valuable agricultural product — bigger than wheat, cattle or timber.” Bud Inc. gives us an inside look at this thriving homegrown industry.

Although the cultivation and selling of marijuana remains illegal in Canada, it is already big business, especially in British Columbia. Law enforcement officials estimate that the annual wholesale value of B.C. marijuana is now $6 billion, about 5% of the province’s total economy. If these stats are correct, it is B.C.’s largest export. Ontario and Quebec are not far behind.

Vancouver journalist Ian Mulgrew has been following the rise of this underground economy for some time, and knows all the key players, political and entrepreneurial. Comparisons to the rum-runners of the Prohibition era are not unfounded. These so-called “pot barons” are all savvy businessmen who have built their empires using tried and true business models.

Cash-strapped governments, pharmaceutical companies and other big businesses are well aware of the potential profits, and Canada has been at the forefront of the global movement to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize the recreational use of the drug. Estimates vary, but it’s thought that nearly a million people in Canada could benefit from medicinal marijuana, yet only about a thousand are currently legally authorized to use it. Many feel that marijuana should be grown, regulated and taxed like any other commodity.

Following the evolution of the marijuana trade from rich kids smuggling it in their luggage, to trans-oceanic operations involving tons of dope, to today’s thriving multi-billion-dollar domestic industry, Bud Inc. is a fascinating study of real-life supply-and-demand economics.

*November 2003

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NOMINEE 2006 - National Business Book Award

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Finalist for the 2005 national business book award

“An eye-opening account of the nation’s most valuable agricultural product … and a convincing argument for its legalization.”
–Maclean’s

“Bud Inc. virtually overflows with interesting players: growers, activists, smugglers, dealers and a few demons, as well…. A fascinating read … [Mulgrew] makes arguments that need to be heard and acted upon.”
–Winnipeg Free Press


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Award-winning journalist Ian Mulgrew has worked for newspapers and magazines, authored three books and co-authored another. He has also produced and hosted numerous broadcast programs. He is currently the legal affairs columnist for the Vancouver Sun.

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