Article by Kate Robertson, Growth Op
Former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner Julian Fantino and former RCMP deputy commissioner Raf Souccar are leaving Aleafia, the cannabis company they founded. In an April 27 press release, Fantino, the current chairman of the board, and Souccar, a director, announced their intention to resign as of May 15, 2020.
“On behalf of the Aleafia Health team, the company wishes to thank Mr. Fantino and Mr. Souccar for their service … and in particular for their directorships and their roles as chairman and past CEO to the company, respectively,” wrote a company spokesperson in an email.
While the reasoning behind the departures has not been given, the company — alongside its recreational cannabis retail partners — was plagued by bad public relations with regard to its founders. Fantino, who once compared cannabis legalization to murder, and Souccar were infamously referred to as two of Canada’s “biggest weed hypocrites” in a list published by VICE.