Growers of the world-famous B次元官网网址淏.C. BudB次元官网网址� cannabis who want to go legal still have a long, uphill path through three layers of government, but the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 latest effort to help them is getting high marks.
B.C.B次元官网网址檚 public safety, agriculture and jobs ministries have launched an , a step-by-step guide for marijuana growers and processors working through the regulatory maze that starts with Health Canada and extends down to skeptical and sometimes hostile local governments. ItB次元官网网址檚 the latest effort by Premier John HorganB次元官网网址檚 government to regain the provinceB次元官网网址檚 economic impact that accounted for half of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 production before legalization in October 2018.
The was one of the groups consulted over the past year on what the craft cannabis industry needs to move from the darkness to the light in a province still dominated by black market sales. The associationB次元官网网址檚 president, Courtland Sandover-Sly, said he was B次元官网网址渜uite thrilledB次元官网网址� to see the result, a realistic guide to the task ahead.
B次元官网网址淎s a former consultant for cannabis startups, it comprises a lot of our initial conversations we would have with potential clients,B次元官网网址� Sandover-Sly said in an interview with Black Press Media. B次元官网网址淰ery basic questions like, what is your zoning, what does the city say about cannabis, what does the regional district say about water usage, all these things.B次元官网网址�
The biggest obstacle remains for smaller, craft growers trying to compete with big national producers that supply most of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 retail cannabis stores. That is the requirement to finance and build their facilities for inspection before they can even apply for a Health Canada licence.
Statistics Canada tracks legal cannabis sales by province. The show a steady rise in B.C. retail sales up to March, but B.C.B次元官网网址檚 legal sales remain well below AlbertaB次元官网网址檚. ThatB次元官网网址檚 partly because Alberta has more retail stores, but the key reason is the continued dominance of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 black market that retains a long-standing reputation for better and cheaper product.
The B.C. government reports that as of June 15, the province has 66 standard cultivation licence holders, 10 micro-cultivation licence holders, five licensed cannabis nurseries, 51 standard processing licenses and two micro-processing licences. Meanwhile the black market in B.C. has been estimated to hold onto as much as 80 per cent of B.C. sales.
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Sandover-Sly says the anecdotal evidence he hears is that the COVID-19 pandemic may have strengthened the B.C. black market.
B次元官网网址淧eople are buying their cannabis in parking lots and parks, to the point where if you bring it up at a house party and ask people where theyB次元官网网址檙e getting their cannabis, you might be surprised that everybodyB次元官网网址檚 buying from a personal connection as opposed to a retail store,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not good. Everybody wants to see the legal market succeed to a degree. I think itB次元官网网址檚 only the extremes that want to see the legal market fail.B次元官网网址�
Other industry associations have formed to develop local and small-scale production. The Nelson-based is headed by Teresa Taylor, daughter of former Grand Forks mayor Brian Taylor, an early advocate of legalizing industrial hemp production.
Nationally, the is advocating for licensed stores to be able to sell online and deliver directly to customers. B.C.B次元官网网址檚 wholesale monopoly is run by the Liquor Distribution Branch, which retains exclusive rights to legal online sales delivered by Canada Post.
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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