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In this educational episode of the Legacies Podcast, hosts Tom Ritchie and Wesley Bowles discuss transparency and data availability in the Canadian retail market, analyzing the OCS data subscriptions and reporting tiers. They cover regulatory changes and policy shifts from Health Canada regarding research licensing and the potential impact on product testing. The hosts also review topical skin formulations, discussing Stewart Farms’ Rebound bath bombs/balms and Wildwood Labs’ full-spectrum CBD rollup sticks.
Later, they are joined by guest Drew Henson, Founder and CEO of TOQI and design agency Twenty2B. Drew talks about his background in engineering physics, his early career working on collaborative projects with NASA, and his transition to designing consumer electronics and wearable tech. He describes the product design process for the TOQI premium wireless-charging vaporization hardware, addressing hardware safety, compliance, and user optimization in the legal concentrate market.
Tom Ritchie Says: Hey, what’s going on, everyone? Welcome to another episode of Legacies! I’m your host, Tom Ritchie, joined as usual by executive producer and co-host, Mr. Wesley Bowles. Wes, how are you doing this morning?
Wesley Bowles Says: Pretty good! How about yourself?
Tom Ritchie Says: I’m not gonna lie, I am exhausted. I have a crazy story for you. So, you know my dogs, Gordie and Randy? We had a skunk encounter in the backyard!
Wesley Bowles Says: Oh no, come on!
Tom Ritchie Says: Our neighbors alerted us earlier this week that a skunk had nested under our back shed. I borrowed a live trap from my buddy Jerry, but last night at 11:30 PM before bed, I let the boys out. Gordie made a beeline for the corner, Randy followed, and next thing you know, barking and a wall of absolute stench hit us. Gordie took a direct hit right to the face!
Tom Ritchie Says: I immediately consulted ChatGPT for the ultimate de-skunking formula: hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap. I saturated Gordie on the deck in the dark for ten minutes, rinsed him with the hose, and brought him in for a full bath. That formula neutralized the smell instantly—way better than old tomato juice myths. So right now, skunk: 1, Tom: 0.
Wesley Bowles Says: We had a family of skunks burrow under the crawlspace of an old house I lived in once. I woke up at 3:00 AM thinking it was in our bedroom. Our dog at the time tried biting the skunk’s rear and got sprayed directly in the open mouth—foaming at the mouth and everything. It was awful.
Tom Ritchie Says: On a different note, have you heard of the biographical movie Cabrini? It’s about Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian immigrant nun in late 19th-century New York.
Wesley Bowles Says: I hadn’t heard of it before you mentioned it.
Tom Ritchie Says: She petitioned the Vatican over a dozen times to build global orphanages and hospitals. Pope Leo XIII sent her to New York’s Five Points neighborhood, where impoverished Italian and immigrant families were working dangerous jobs and leaving thousands of orphaned children living in sewers.
Tom Ritchie Says: Against massive systemic resistance, she built an empire of care that rivaled the Rockefellers and became the very first naturalized American citizen canonized as a saint in 1947. What I love about stories like that is the sheer, relentless steadfastness—a vision so strong that no amount of pushback can derail you.
Tom Ritchie Says: Switching gears to cannabis industry news, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) is rolling out significant updates to their wholesale data platform for licensed producers.
Wesley Bowles Says: Exactly. OCS currently operates a two-tiered data subscription. Tier 1 has provided wholesale-level provincial data, but they are updating it to offer LPs greater visibility into specific authorized retail stores that are ordering their SKUs.
Tom Ritchie Says: That’s huge for non-industry listeners to understand. Previously, an LP could launch a product onto OCS wholesale flow-through and have zero visibility into which dispensaries were actually stocking their inventory unless they paid for expensive third-party data scraping subscriptions. Alberta and BC have had similar transparency programs, so it’s great to see Ontario modernizing. OCS is taking LP feedback on this through July 9th.
Tom Ritchie Says: The OCS also released their June market insights. What stood out in the category breakdowns?
Wesley Bowles Says: Over the past 12 months, authorized retail vape sales jumped by $33 million, edibles increased by $772,000, while topicals dropped by roughly $885,000 despite 61 new topical SKUs entering the market.
Tom Ritchie Says: Speaking of topicals, I have to give a genuine shout-out to Wildwood Labs. Shane sent over their 1500mg full-spectrum CBD extra strength body balm roll-on. I’ve had crippling tennis elbow and joint pain. I put it on my elbows, knees, and back over the weekend, and it provided immediate relief. It retains that authentic, rich hash oil terpene aroma that I personally love.
Wesley Bowles Says: While I was up north at the cottage, I got eaten alive by mosquitoes. I pulled out Stewart Farms’ Rebound 1:1 THC:CBD balm that we got at Grow Up, rubbed it on the bites, and the swelling and itch vanished almost immediately. Plus, I brought my Nugz Happeil glass rig up north to educate some buddies on hash and dabs!
Tom Ritchie Says: Did you see the post from cannabis lawyer Harrison Jordan regarding proposed Health Canada changes to research licensing?
Wesley Bowles Says: It looks like they are adding friction to sensory research protocols. If an LP wants to test new product formulations through contract research facilities like Lit Research, they may face 30-day non-binding approval windows just to add new product formats.
Tom Ritchie Says: Health Canada is also proposing that sensory testing panels only include consumers aged 18 to 65 who consume cannabis at least three times a week and have consumed for at least 12 months. That completely excludes new or occasional consumers! If an LP wants to formulate low-dose, innovative products for non-traditional consumers, how can they test them under these rules? It stifles market innovation.
Tom Ritchie Says: Welcome back! We are honored today to be joined by Drew Henson, founder and CEO of Twenty2B and TOQI Technologies. Drew, welcome to Legacies!
Drew Henson Says: Thank you so much for having me, Tom and Wes! Excited to be here.
Tom Ritchie Says: Looking through your background, you completely shatter the outdated ‘lazy stoner’ stereotype. You studied engineering physics and hold masters in industrial design. Where did that drive begin?
Drew Henson Says: It’s a generational continuation. My father is a true genius—he earned one of two national scholarships in Guyana, came to Canada to study mining engineering, earned an MBA, and turned around a struggling coal mining company in Grande Cache, Alberta, where I was born.
Drew Henson Says: I showed an early aptitude for mathematics and spoke fluent French. In university, after some initial complacency, my father challenged me to push my absolute limits, so I enrolled in engineering physics at the University of Saskatchewan—combining theoretical physics, electromagnetic wave theory, computer science, and materials science.
Tom Ritchie Says: How did engineering physics lead you into motorsport and product design in Europe?
Drew Henson Says: I interned at Walker Racing in Indianapolis working in IndyCar and Atlantic Championship racing as a data acquisition engineer. After the 2008 recession, I realized my passion was designing tangible physical products. I applied to the School of Polytechnic Design in Milan, Italy. When they saw my sketches, they told me bluntly: ‘You can’t draw for shit!’ But they recognized my engineering foundation and accepted me into their industrial design master’s program.
Drew Henson Says: While in Milan, Renault F1 and Altran ran a global engineering competition to design the next great F1 innovation. Over a bowl of hash in my kitchen, I conceptualized a dynamic electromagnetic ballast system that shifts magnetic liquid counterweights around the F1 chassis in real time to optimize cornering G-forces and compensate for 100kg of burning fuel. I won first place in North America and competed at Renault’s UK headquarters!
Tom Ritchie Says: You mentioned consuming hash while designing. How did cannabis fit into your cognitive workflow?
Drew Henson Says: Growing up, I was hyperactive with undiagnosed ADHD. When I discovered cannabis, I realized that in proper, self-regulated micro-doses, it quieted the mental background noise and allowed me to laser-focus on complex calculus and physics. Cannabis became my functional medicine.
Drew Henson Says: After Milan, I trained under legendary Scottish-Italian designer Alberto Fraser (former head designer at Ray-Ban). Alberto gave me invaluable life lessons. He told me: ‘Nobody is right 100% of the time. When you are arrogant and wrong, the fallout is tenfold worse. You have two choices: work ten times harder to eliminate errors, or stay humble, listen, and let your work speak for itself.’
Tom Ritchie Says: You then moved to London and joined action camera pioneer Drift Innovation, eventually designing hardware for NASA!
Drew Henson Says: I joined Drift as their sole technical designer, quickly becoming Product Director. We competed against GoPro, Sony, and Toshiba across 41 countries. I designed the Drift Ghost S, featuring an integrated LCD screen and 360-degree rotating lens.
Drew Henson Says: NASA called our office wanting to test commercial action cameras for astronauts on the International Space Station. I spent eight months working with NASA engineers—running electromagnetic radiation tests, custom firmware development, and shatterproofing tests to ensure zero glass particulate risks in zero gravity. Seven years later, when SpaceX docked the Dragon capsule, astronauts were still wearing Drift cameras on their spacewalk helmets!
Tom Ritchie Says: What triggered the transition from consumer electronics into launching TOQI Technologies?
Drew Henson Says: In 2018, as Canadian legalization arrived, I was fed up with cheap 510-thread batteries that broke constantly, lacked airflow, burned cartridges with erratic voltages, and required proprietary screw-on chargers. I wanted to elevate consumption hardware into an art form.
Drew Henson Says: We engineered the TOQI 510 Wireless Vaporizer with USB-C and built-in Qi wireless charging. Crucially, we designed internal closed-loop circuitry that dynamically regulates voltage output under load. Premium live rosin and live resin producers quickly recognized that our 2.8V low-heat profile preserved delicate terpenes and delivered the smoothest flavor on the market. We’ve expanded across California dispensaries through partnerships with Harborside and PedalFast.
Tom Ritchie Says: You also created the TOQI Blunt Box, which looks more like a luxury architectural humidor than a cannabis accessory.
Drew Henson Says: The world doesn’t need disposable plastic junk. The Blunt Box is CNC-machined from solid Ashwood and hand-finished. It features a removable rolling tray that illuminates an upward-facing soft LED light to backlight your rolling paper without ruining ambient room lighting, magnetic closures, and a knock-activated smart humidity sensor that glows green when internal humidity is between 55% and 65% RH.
Drew Henson Says: Notice there is no padlock on the Blunt Box. People don’t put padlocks on their wine cellars or crystal whiskey decanters. If we want cannabis to be culturally destigmatized, our consumption rituals and presentation pieces should celebrate the plant with beauty and pride, not hide it away in shame.
Tom Ritchie Says: You hinted at a revolutionary data project you are developing for the cannabis industry. What can you share?
Drew Henson Says: Right now, dispensary recommendations rely on outdated ‘indica/sativa’ binaries or generic strain reviews that ignore personal endocannabinoid chemistry, terpene entourage effects, and cultivator variance. We are building a predictive data platform that matches individual consumers with the exact chemical profiles that achieve their desired functional outcomes.
Wesley Bowles Says: Last week, Grant Caton from Lite Label left this two-part question for you: “What is the single best piece of business/entrepreneurial advice you’ve received, and what is the best piece of personal life advice you’ve received?”
Drew Henson Says: On a personal level: ‘Nobody is right 100% of the time.’ When you internalize that, you stop arguing to be right and start listening deeply to understand the lived experiences of others. On a business level: ‘You always need more money than you think you do, and surround yourself with A-players who have the courage to tell you to your face when you are wrong.’ And remember, awards don’t pay bills or feed your team—stay hungry and stay focused on real human impact.
Tom Ritchie Says: What is your question for next week’s incoming guest?
Drew Henson Says: “Are there truly any selfless acts?”
Tom Ritchie Says: Drew, thank you for sharing your brilliant journey from Formula 1 and NASA to elevating cannabis design with TOQI! Check out TOQI at mytoqi.com, subscribe to Legacies, and we’ll see everyone next week!
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Founder & CEO
Drew Henson is a Canadian industrial designer, product developer, and entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of TOQI and design agency Twenty2B.
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TOQI is a Canadian consumer technology brand founded by Drew Henson under the parent consultancy Twenty2B. The brand focuses on...
Learn More About Partner ↗TOQI hardware emphasizes premium consumer-technology standards, featuring built-in wireless charging, stable temperature regulation, and clean conduction paths to optimize the vaporization of oils and concentrates.
Proposed changes require producers to register specific products on their research licenses in advance, introducing a non-binding 30-day approval process for any new SKU testing, which limits operational velocity.
Full-spectrum extracts contain the plant's natural range of cannabinoids and terpenes, which interact synergistically to offer targeted topical application compared to isolated cannabinoid distillates.
