B.C. becomes 2nd province to offer farm-to-gate cannabis sales
A new cannabis retail licence introduced in British Columbia is aimed at improving the quality of products in the legal market, plus supporting Indigenous and rural producers.
The producer retail store (PRS) licence will come into effect on Nov. 30, according to a statement released by the province on Tuesday. Successful applicants will be authorized to sell non-medical cannabis products from stores located at their cultivation site.
“We continue to look for ways to support growth of the legal market while providing safe and accessible options for British Columbians,” Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in the statement. The new policy was announced just 13 days ahead of Canada’s fourth anniversary of cannabis legalization on Oct. 17.
B.C.’s current framework restricts cannabis producers from operating a retail licence, which Farnworth explains was meant to encourage competition. Ontario never had that restriction in place, making it the first and only province to allow for farm-to-gate cannabis sales.
“Four years ago, our priority was establishing retail stores so that consumers across B.C. would have access to legal cannabis products…At this point our retail store network is well established,” says Farnworth.
The launch of this new policy was three years in the making, and began with a government-to-government agreement between the province and Williams Lake First Nation, the latter of which opened B.C.’s first farm-gate production facility on Secwepemc Territory this year.
Daniel Penny, a project manager with the Williams Lake First Nation says cannabis users will notice the impact of this new framework as soon as it takes effect. Having worked at Unity, a cannabis retail store, and Sugar Cane Cannabis, the 7,000-square-foot production facility, he’s seen first hand how eager clients are to see where and how cannabis grows.
“If craft cannabis is going to have the same success as beer and wine, we need to continue evolving consumption spaces to give people opportunities to touch, taste and smell the product—where tours and testing products are part of the experience,” Penny says.
Not only will the legal farm-gate model allow producers to make meaningful connections with retailers and customers, Penny says it will also lead to higher quality products in stores.
“A lot of products coming into our retail store are about quantity over quality, and some sit on store shelves for months before reaching consumers,” says Penny.
In collaboration with the First Nations Leadership Council, B.C. created the BC Cannabis Products Program in January 2022, with the goal of supporting Indigenous cannabis producers in this budding industry. To date, six First Nations have signed s.119 agreements, including Williams Lake First Nation, though Farnworth says application processing timelines can vary due to things like security screenings and local government or Indigenous Nation recommendations.
While Penny believes there’s still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to B.C.’s legal cannabis market, he’s excited by the past four years of progress.
“We’re excited to continue to grow,” says Penny. “I think there’s a lot of untapped market and people who want to continue learning and getting involved with cannabis. We’ve come a long way in keeping people away from the illegal market and providing safe experiences for consumers.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.