ATHABASCA – If you’ve ever wondered what exactly the province means when they talk about red tape reduction, ask a local cannabis retailer.
Come Jan. 31, 2024, updates to the Gaming Liquor and Cannabis regulations will allow pot shops to hawk their wares at festivals or other adults-only events, as well as change the rules around storage of cannabis in store locations.
“We were really excited to see the regulatory changes,” said Shelby Kiteley, co-owner of Earth to Embers, a licensed cannabis distributor in Boyle. “One of the changes is now we’re allowed to set up at adults-only festivals, kind of like a beer garden which is awesome. Before that we were kind of hush-hush, we couldn’t advertise anything outside of our store. There are even restrictions around what words we can say, or what’s in our name.”
Before the changes were announced, some businesses were invited to a round table with Dale Nally, minister of service Alberta and red tape reduction. While Kiteley was unable to go, her business partner Terryl Turner took part, which Kiteley said was an invaluable experience.
“(Nally) seemed really eager to learn, he himself had no experience with cannabis but he was all ears and was super willing to help, and by the end of the session she said it seemed like he had taken it all to heart and knew what the goal was,” said Kiteley.
“It goes to show that it’s really on our side, and he understands the struggles that were put in place by the federal government.”
In addition to the changes around festivals and trade shows, businesses will no longer be required to move all their product into a secure storage room at the end of the night. Gerry Webster, who owns Equilibrium Cannabis in Athabasca, Lac La Biche and Smokey Lake with his partner Derek Ewaskiw, said the staff hours really added up across all three stores.
“At every location, we display one of every product, and the staff take their time to set everything up really nice,” said Webster. “It takes a good hour of staff time each day to set it up and take it down, so being able to leave it up in locked cabinets saves a lot of time.”
Locally, the increased access to festivals isn’t going to change much according to Webster, although he did note that vendors closer to cities would greatly benefit.
“Right now, there would probably be a couple of events within Athabasca or Lac La Biche that I could think of. There may be more added since the rule was just released,” said Webster. “Beyond them allowing it at trade shows, there is still a taboo — they need a place to go smoke it. The adult events would be a new thing to navigate but we’d be willing to check it out and try new things.”
On the province’s end, Nally is hoping the changes will help legitimate businesses compete against non-licensed entities. In a Dec. 18 release announcing the changes, Nally spoke to the importance of reducing barriers and costs for licensed retailers.
“We’ve been looking at the cannabis market to determine what’s working, what needs to be improved, and what’s redundant or unnecessary, while protecting health and safety,” the release read. “These changes are the result of our latest work to help curb the illegal cannabis industry and continue providing choices Albertans can trust.”
