The legalization of cannabis has created a new approach to the sale of the product, and itB次元官网网址檚 a change for the better, says Ian Laing, the owner of Earth to Sky Cannabis in Sooke.
B次元官网网址淒iscrimination against cannabis is based on long-standing and ill-informed beliefs about cannabis that are going to take some time to overcome,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 why weB次元官网网址檙e taking a very professional and well-informed approach to our operation. ItB次元官网网址檚 an approach that we think will help to change the way people think about our product.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 an approach that mirrors the marketing strategy that Riverside Cannabis, SookeB次元官网网址檚 first licensed cannabis shop, has already implemented.
B次元官网网址淭his is a legal product that weB次元官网网址檙e selling and we know that our customers are getting used to the legal outlets and weB次元官网网址檙e doing our best to help educate our customers as they come out of the grey and black marketsB次元官网网址� said Lori Rittaler the owner of Riverside Cannabis.
B次元官网网址淲e also have people who are trying it for the first time, so thereB次元官网网址檚 a real mixed bag out there and we need to find a way of answering all their questions.B次元官网网址�
Amanda Sannella, the manager of Earth to Sky, is eager to implement a professional approach to marketing the newly legalized product.
B次元官网网址淭he biggest opportunity that we have involves customers who come in after having dealt with illegal suppliers and who are looking for a comparable legal product,B次元官网网址� Sannella said.
B次元官网网址淭hey want something like the product theyB次元官网网址檙e used to and we can help them do that while being able to guarantee that they are actually getting what they think they are getting. In illegal operations, you could never be certain of that. It was a huge risk.B次元官网网址�
But just like at the Riverside store, Sannella said it isnB次元官网网址檛 just long-term users of cannabis that come through the door.
B次元官网网址淲e see a wide range of customer profiles coming to our door, asking when weB次元官网网址檒l be open,B次元官网网址� Sannella said. (The store has since opened.)
B次元官网网址淏ut itB次元官网网址檚 going to take a while for us to overcome some of the stigma associated with our products. I think that when edibles are made legal (promised for mid-December) as well as concentrates and even topicals (that are in a cream form that is absorbed through the skin) youB次元官网网址檒l see people becoming more educated and comfortable with the product.B次元官网网址�
A new aspect of that education comes as the licensed producers now employ what Laing calls cannabis sommeliers. These product representatives travel to cannabis outlets to educate the staff about the differences in various cannabis products.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not unlike the liquor (company) reps who go to liquor stores to promote their products and answer questions about the options that exist,B次元官网网址� Sannella said.
Mike Stewart is one of those representatives. He is the product representative and sales manager for Aurora Cannabis, one of the countryB次元官网网址檚 legal cannabis producers.
B次元官网网址淚 go around and make sure that all the stores have what they need and that the B次元官网网址榖udtendersB次元官网网址� have all the information they need to sell the product,B次元官网网址� Stewart said.
Stewart acknowledged, however, a stigma is still attached to cannabis use.
B次元官网网址淚n the past cannabis users were sometimes seen as pot heads, lazy and not as intelligent as other people. ThatB次元官网网址檚 an unfair characterization,B次元官网网址� Stewart said.
B次元官网网址淐annabis users are just normal people who might want to unwind at the end of the day, in the same way as someone using alcohol might have a glass of wine or a beer.B次元官网网址�
He said there have always been a lot of cannabis users and that they are now free to come out of the closet.
B次元官网网址淎s far as the attitudes and stigma, well that will pass with time. No one is really focusing on that right now.B次元官网网址�
Still, Rittaler said the stigma associated with cannabis use persists and itB次元官网网址檚 more than a little is off-putting.
B次元官网网址淭his is the end of prohibition and there is still a stigma out there that has developed over a number of decades,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淟etB次元官网网址檚 hope that running professional outlets helps with that. It wonB次元官网网址檛 happen overnight.B次元官网网址�
Laing, too, is hopeful that attitudes will change as knowledge and understanding about cannabis improve.
B次元官网网址淔or now, itB次元官网网址檚 an uphill climb. I still canB次元官网网址檛 get a single bank branch in Sooke to accept my account. The only bank IB次元官网网址檝e managed to work with is the Bank of Montreal, but that means that I have to drive my deposits into Langford. ThatB次元官网网址檚 something that needs to change.B次元官网网址�
mailto:tim.collins@sookenewsmirror.com
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