With the legalization of non-medical cannabis in 2018, the Liquor Cannabis Regulation Branch has been getting a lot of questions about how the new cannabis rules affect liquor establishments in BC. To help provide clarity the Branch recently created a Cannabis Information for Liquor Licensees & Permittees document.
On February 5, 2018 the Government of BC announced additional details of the regulations and policies that will govern the sale of non-medical cannabis in the province. The Liquor Distribution Branch will retain a monopoly over distribution of cannabis, but there will be public and private options for retail, including online sales.
The wholesale distribution of non-medical cannabis will be run by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB), although will likely not be in the same warehouse as liquor. There will be a mixed model of both…
The province is moving forward with An Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis that would allow for two kinds of cannabis retail sales in Alberta: privately operated physical retail locations and government-operated online retail.
Provinces need retailers with a large enough footprint to contest illegal stores and become trusted partners in the sale of recreational cannabis, according to Darrell Dexter, VP Global Public Affairs, who spoke at the BC Liquor Conference this week. Dexter says, there is “still considerable concern as politicians take on this new political risk.”
Albertans are becoming increasingly open to having recreational marijuana products sold at liquor stores, according to a poll commissioned by the Alberta Liquor Store Association (ALSA). The poll, conducted in February, found that 52% of Albertans believe the government should consider allowing liquor retailers to sell recreational marijuana, provided the products are accessed through a separate entrance.
Canada will be the first G20 country to legalize cannabis and a lot needs to happen before that becomes a reality in July 2018. The senate will be sitting to discuss the legislation in September after their summer break.
Until recently, very little was known about the Canadian recreational marijuana consumer; no comprehensive assessment of the Canadian market had been developed. To address this gap in knowledge, in 2016, Deloitte conducted a study of the Canadian recreational marijuana market. Partnering with Toronto’s RIWI Corp., Deloitte surveyed 5,000 Canadian adults (19 years or older) from coast to coast, 1,000 of whom identified as current recreational marijuana consumers.
