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Alberta’s moratorium on new cannabis stores is clobbering the fledgling retail industry, putting 1,800 jobs in doubt and possibly costing $13 million in wasted leases, say retailers.
In a survey of 20 retail-linked organizations, 69 percent of them disagreed with the move by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) on Nov. 21 to suspend issuing store licenses to better manage an inadequate supply of cannabis.
The Alberta Cannabis Collective (ABCC), which conducted the study, says retailers should be able to directly source cannabis from growers in some cases rather than go through distributor AGLC, and reduce barriers to growers who could supply Alberta.
