Retailing recreational cannabis in British Columbia

Helpful Links and Resources

BC Government Announcements

• December 2017: BC releases first decisions on cannabis regulation after public engagement https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017pssg0077-002017
• December 2017: Province secures fair deal for British Columbians on cannabis revenue sharing https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017FIN0037-002042
• February 2018: Cannabis retail, driving laws amongst new firm-on-safety policy decisions https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PSSG0006-000151
• February 2018: LDB begins preparing for retail and online non-medical cannabis sales https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018AG0002-000160
• April 2018: BC reaches milestone with introduction of provincial cannabis legislation
• April 2018: BC LDB establishes retail brand for non-medical cannabis
• June 2018: BC minister’s statement on the federal Cannabis Act
• June 2018: LDB readies for online sales of non-medical cannabis, secures distribution centre
• July 2018: Eligibility assessment and requirements for cannabis retail licenses available online
• July 2018: LDB signs 31 new agreements with Licensed Producers and secures first government cannabis store location
• August 2018: LDB issues product call for non-medical cannabis, determines wholesale mark-up

BC Liquor Distribution Branch: Public retailer and wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis

• Cannabis Information Sheet – LDB Cannabis Retail Operations: http://www.bcldbcannabisupdates.com/files/LDB_cannabis_information_sheet_Feb._5,_2018.pdf
• Cannabis Updates from LDB: http://www.bcldbcannabisupdates.com/

Cannabis Licensing and Applications

• Apply for a non-medical cannabis private retail store license: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/cannabislicensing/
• Cannabis Retail Store License Terms and Conditions Handbook: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/guides-and-manuals/cannabis-retail-store-licence-handbook.pdf
• Additional application materials and guidelines are available on the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/cannabis-regulation
• License eligibility requirements: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/cannabislicensing/policy-document/eligibility
• BC Cannabis Private Retail Licensing Guide: Applications and Operations: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Cannabis_Private_Retail_Licensing_Guide.pdf
• Local Governments’ Role in Licensing Non-Medical Cannabis Retail Stores: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/employment-business-and-economic-development/business-management/liquor-regulation-licensing/documents/local_government_role_in_licensing_cannabis_retail_stores.pdf
• Information about cannabis retail store license application fee refunds: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/business/liquor-regulation-licensing/cannabis-regulation/application-fee-refunds

Additional Regulations

• Provincial Regulatory Framework and Public Safety: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/cannabis
• Draft Federal Cannabis Act (Bill C-45): http://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=8886269

ABLE BC Webinars

• Download our free webinar from July 2018 – How to successfully prepare your cannabis retail license application: https://ablebc.ca/product/free-webinar-download-successfully-prepare-cannabis-retail-license-application/
• Download our free webinar from February 2018 answering questions about the cannabis retail license application process and eligibility: https://ablebc.ca/product/free-webinar-download-retailing-cannabis-bc-faq/
• Download our webinar from February 2018 in partnership with Aura Cannabis on how to set up your cannabis retail store for success: https://ablebc.ca/product/webinar-download-set-cannabis-retail-store-success/ 

ABLE BC will continue providing updates to members on retailing cannabis and our advocacy work:

• Contact Danielle Leroux (danielle@ableb.ca) to be added to our mailing list if you don’t receive our emails
• Meeting with your municipality? Need help setting up a meeting or key messaging to share with your City Council? Please contact our office for assistance at 604-688-5560 or info@ablebc.ca.