FRA Co-founder, Gordon T. Long is joined by Anthony Wile, Founding Chairman and CEO of The Wile Group, to discuss the future of the emerging legalized Cannabis Industry on a global scale, along with the war on drugs and the next upcoming star in the global theater, Colombia.
Mr. Anthony Wile, founding Chairman and CEO of The Wile Group Ltd., is an active investor, business strategist and consultant, financial markets commentator, publisher and author. Mr. Wile founded The Daily Bell, where he served as chief editor until February 2016. He now publishes Wile Reports, a free subscription publication with new material from Anthony Wile and occasional introductions to investment opportunities of potential interest that are being supported by The Wile Group. Mr. Wile is the author of High Alert: How the Internet Reformation is causing a financial hurricane - and how to profit from it. Ron Paul has said, "High Alert should be read by everyone who wishes to educate themselves about the dangers fiat money poses to American liberty and prosperity. I wish I could get every member of Congress to read this book."
War on Drugs
"I think the entire world is repressed as a service to benefit a very few."
I believe that people should be able to invest their capital in whatever way they want to. Bottom line is, we should not be trying to organize society in a way that monetarily determines who is and who isn't capable of making decisions for themselves.
Special Session of the General Assembly UNGASS 2016 - The meeting happened as a results of several factors:
- Some sovereign nations have been jumping ahead of international policy and making their own rules and regulations regarding the war on drugs.
- Canada is an example of a country that has moved in its own direction to establish a national marketplace for the distribution of medicinal cannabis products.
- Canada's recently elected Prime Minister Trudeau has made it very clear by some time in spring 2017, there will be legislation in place for an adult use recreational cannabis marketplace.
- The world is changing in this respect, and rightfully so.
Authorities discuss how to reduce drug use, which surely we can all agree on, is a noble topic to talk about, but more importantly we must ask, how do we reduce the demand? Too much attention is spent on the supply side of the equation. I think it's important we begin to consider the demand side as well. A major idea is that if you're going to educate somebody, you need to know who you are talking to. Today the demand side of the industry is unknown other than as a group, an umbrella which you don't deal with as a whole; rather, you deal with individual people within the system. The regulation of the industry, like it or not, will ensure that the drugs will be maturely distributed, and as a result of that you will get the appropriate data.
"If we open up the system and have a rational understanding that the demand already exists ... We are not talking about normalizing drugs; we are talking about creating a highway system that develops the communication ability for those who wish to impart their views on how you should reduce consumption of these products. By doing this you remove the black market from the distribution side, which then cuts off funding to the 'terrorism' of the war on drugs."
If you want to make a change and cease the funding of these illegal organizations throughout the world, then you must simply cut off their funding source. In many cases, these funds are related to the war on drugs. The rest of the world is beginning to realize that the problem can be alleviated through a mature discussion that recognizes human nature being what it is, and that it is individuals who are deciding for themselves to consume these products. We don't endorse it; we are simply saying that we must get to know who these people are-; profile, understand and get to know people on a personal and real level.
"This is a big boys' game that will be handled by the big boys when it comes to the determination of what the products are and how they're distributed."
Without a doubt there are investment opportunities in this arena, but people should take their time and not rush in. The regulatory environment has not yet shaped itself. That will determine where the profit margin will lie. Big change is coming, for instance, in distribution. Some of the largest associations in Canada have come out saying that they are behind this shift towards a pharmacy distribution model. This immediately puts an "X" over the revenues that would have belonged to the licensed producers in Canada who distribute through the mail. Today they have the whole vertical, but tomorrow they won't. As a result, those investments are dramatically affected and thus the viability of anybody who invested in those investments.
Areas of negative environmental impact can be alleviated if the focus is on the cultivation in areas that can generate a positive environmental impact. You will see in the coming future that international bodies will be quite focused on the environmental side of this new industry in which the standards can be determined upfront by the private sector with support of agencies that see this is in fact the better way to approach this.
There is a lot of discussion happening at this point in time within the international circles of how best to embrace, monitor, secure and develop international trade in this industry. For investors who want to get involved in this big shift, I suggest to pay attention to the nations that on a production side are leaving a positive environmental footprint, and are producing medicinal-grade products which are standardized at legitimate price points.
Columbia's Role
"In the war on drugs, Colombia has suffered more than any other nation on Earth."
Colombia desires to rehabilitate its reputation. The aftermath of the war is a way for Colombia to recreate the way they are viewed by the world. The country is far from backwards in regards to their research capabilities. Their universities are top notch. There is more than enough capability and infrastructure for Colombia to establish a new role in the world with respect to their contribution in pharmaceutical products.
The government has paved the way for a legal business to develop in Colombia. Colombia has means to be a world leader in a scientific and technological way for how these products should be standardized, regulated, and distributed and pave the way by example.
Business Opportunities in Columbia
"I don't see a country in the world today that offers as much opportunity as Colombia."
I try to stay away from global stock markets as much as possible. I am more interested in generating real wealth with real businesses that generate positive and sustainable cash flow. We're focused in private equity and in Colombia. There are so many areas of Colombia which have been sealed off for decades, inaccessible and totally under-explored in terms of natural resources. There is great opportunity for investing - real estate, tourism, a myriad of opportunities exist. I also think the hemp industry in Colombia is going to develop rapidly; we're conducting due diligence on that now. It is a nation that is about to spring forward in many ways.
Economic Shifts in South America
The Latin American nations surrounding Colombia are unfortunately lagging far behind. They are not learning as much as they should be from the example of Venezuela. After Colombia, the next rising star would be Chile. It is a country that offers reasonable stability, but it is still difficult to compare the opportunities it offers with those of Colombia.
"At the end of the day, the leading nation in Latin America, in terms of growth, opportunity, and economic prosperity, is undoubtedly Colombia."
Abstract written by Karan Singh
Video Editor: Sarah Tung
