Dozens of rogue cannabis shops doing business in the City of Vancouver — collectively responsible for more than $2 million in unpaid city-issued violation tickets, according to new city data — will have a harder time operating after legalization comes into effect this fall, senior city officials said Wednesday.
This week, Vancouver moved to align its retail cannabis sales regime, the first of its kind in the country, with the provincial and federal regulatory frameworks as Canada prepares to become the first G7 nation to legalize recreational cannabis.
Meanwhile, the B.C. government is seeking to hire a director to lead a new cannabis enforcement unit, which is expected to be staffed and running by the time federal legalization of recreational cannabis comes into effect Oct. 17.
The retail cannabis regime pioneered in Vancouver will transition well into Canada’s new legalization framework, said Kaye Krishna, Vancouver’s general manager of development, buildings and licensing.
Top photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
