Today our provincial government announced how legal, non-medical cannabis will be retailed in British Columbia. We now know that there will be a "mixed" public/private retail model, with privately run retail stores, government-operated retail stores, and government online sales. There will also be rural stores, but details of those have not yet been announced.

Cannabis will not be sold at existing BC Liquor Stores, but through a new standalone network of public retail stores that will be operated by the LDB. While we don't yet have details on these new stores, we plan to work cooperatively with the LDB to ensure they open in a fast yet sensible manner. We know that our members are highly-trained, responsible retailers of controlled substances and that public stores are the best system for safely and responsibly retailing non-medical cannabis.

The new BC Cannabis Licensing Guide does say that all non-medical cannabis stores, including those operated by the LDB, will need local government support. This means that Component 5 members will need to continue to use their considerable public speaking and advocacy skills to ensure that public retails stores can open in their communities.

We know that BCGEU members are the best in the province at warehousing and distributing controlled substances, and we remain happy that the government has chosen to entrust the LDB with the wholesale distribution of cannabis.

The announcement also contained information on personal public possession limits, places of use, personal cultivation and drug-impaired driving. You can find the full announcement online at https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PSSG0006-000151

In solidarity,

Kimberlee MacGregor
Component 5 Vice-President

Download PDF of notice here

UWU/MoveUP