Albertans will soon see pot shops selling cannabis at some festivals and trade shows. The province will begin allowing licensed cannabis retailers to operate temporary sales locations at adult-only events come Jan. 31.
The industry welcomed the change, positioning it Tuesday as a way to grow their brands, satisfy customers and erode the market share held by unlicensed dispensaries and dealers. “We applaud the Government of Alberta’s decision to remove unnecessary red tape from the cannabis industry, and we encourage other provinces like Ontario to follow suit," said Sam Vanderveer of OEG Retail Cannabis, the Edmonton-based company which owns the Tokyo Smoke retail chain, in a statement.
"This is an exciting advancement for licensed Canadian cannabis retailers — but more importantly for consumers in Alberta."
Michelle Lefler, a spokeswoman for Edmonton-based Aurora Cannabis Inc., added the amendments would provide increased flexibility for the industry along with more access to legal cannabis.
Statistics Canada reported in October that by the first half of 2023, more than 70 per cent of the total value of cannabis consumed in Canada was from a legal source, an increase from 22 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018, when legalization occurred.
Read more at thespec.com