The program comes from a partnership with TerraCycle—an eco-friendly company running privately funded campaigns around the world.

TerraCycle works with companies to “upcycle” and repurpose common waste products, turning discarded drink containers into reusable tote bags, circuit boards into coasters, and fax machines into flower pots. It also collects and melts general waste, reforming it into pellets to be used in the making of benches, picnic tables, and playgrounds. Now, TerraCycle is working with Health Canada's LPs to combat a rising plastics problem spawning from new federal laws.

  This week in Cannabis: Tweed and TerraCycle choose Earth Day to launch a new cannabis-waste recycling program, the Feds are set to approve a new saliva-testing device that detects recent drug use–but not impairment, and Shoppers Drug Mart launches a portal to buy medical cannabis in Alberta.   We’ve rounded up this week’s top stories from across Canada.  

Cannabis-Waste Recycling Program Goes National

  As outcry over cannabis overpackaging continues, Tweed and US recycling company TerraCycle chose Earth Day to announce the nationwide expansion of their Tweed x TerraCycle cannabis-packaging recycling program (first announced only weeks after legalization).   Though the program has been running in a few stores across Canada for some time, Monday’s announcement launched the service cross-country. In addition to recycling bins in cannabis retailers, the expanded Tweed x TerraCycle offers free pickup of cannabis containers—which will be especially useful both for consumers who don’t have ready access to cannabis stores, and also to those whose municipal recycling does not handle all types of plastic used to package cannabis.   Once Tweed x TerraCycle have collected between 10 and 40 tons of plastic cannabis packaging, they will melt it down into plastic pellets that can be used to make new plastic products.

While most of the news and discussion about cannabis focuses on consumables, responsible professionals are proactively looking ahead and developing solutions to address any social issues that arise with normalization.

Sexist advertising doesn’t cut it.

As this newly legal industry develops, please don’t think that it will accept girls in thongs and half shirts in our advertising (as the beer industry did in the 90s), or women in skin tight dresses at our trade shows (as auto shows still do) or women objectified in any other form. Organizations are being created daily to promote women in this industry. Kyra Reed, leader of Women Entrepreneurs in Cannabis, started a movement three years ago with the sole purpose to support women in this industry. The momentum of her #BetterTogether movement hasn’t slowed down. Related: The Marijuana Advertising Double Standard Is Stifling Our Industry

The time is now for social justice.

Business opportunities abound in the cannabis industry and investors are making an unprecedented amount of cash available for new ventures. In spite of this, blacks and hispanics are having a different experience than whites in the ‘green rush’. Many remain locked out of this huge economic event based on historical persecution targeting people of color. Fortunately, men and women are taking bold steps to address and repair the damage done. People and government are beginning to reinvest in the communities impacted by the war on drugs. Dasheeda Dawson, a.k.a. The WeedHead™, is using legal and regulatory measures to confront social injustices. In an article she wrote, Cannabis Legalization Must Include Restorative Justice, Dawson states “...the greatest potential of the cannabis industry -- (is) to serve as an equalizer on a playing field with built-in advantages for some and disadvantages for many others.” Even industry organizations are stepping up. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) was involved in producing a viral campaign designed to educate citizens of New York on the inequity of marijuana laws and advocate for reinvesting cannabis revenue into communities that have been most impacted by criminalization. Related: This Is Non-Negotiable: Cannabis Legalization Must Include Restorative Justice

Community support locally.

Oakland-based The Hood Incubator works to increase the participation of black and brown communities in the legal cannabis industry. Through their three core areas of work -- community organizing, policy advocacy and economic development -- they are creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem of industry access, resources, and support that benefits, rather than harms, black and brown communities. Only two-years old, The Hood Incubator has built a membership of more than 2,000 people nationwide. They’ve supported black and brown entrepreneurs through their Cannabis Business Accelerator program- the first people of color focused cannabis accelerator in the nation. They’ve launched a cannabis industry apprenticeship program to build the pipeline of living wage, locally-based jobs available to their communities. They continue to work closely with the Oakland City Council and community members to develop and implement the nation’s first Cannabis Equity Program. Related: Oakland Strives to Rejuvenate Economically by Becoming California's Cannabis Capital

Mother Nature thanks you.

As one of the fastest-growing channels in both the cannabis and nicotine markets, the vape market creates mountains of waste. From the consumer-focused packaging, to the vaporizer battery and pods, the amount of refuse generated is profound. Cannabis activist Katie Stone, says “Responsible recycling is necessary in the cannabis industry and, frankly it’s the right thing to do.” What works in other industries can be used as a blueprints for similar cannabis recycling programs. TerraCycle, known for recycling the unrecyclable, is geared to putting an end to the waste, one cartridge, vape pen, childproof bag at a time. Unfortunately, it is illegal to re-use the cannabis-holding portions of vape pens, however the materials that make up a vape pen -- from plastics to electronics and batteries -- can be recycled.

Smoke gets in my eyes.

With vaping cannabis and the use of e-cigarettes on the rise, it’s no surprise that people who vape and smoke are still getting push back from non-smokers. Everything from being sent outside to enjoy their vape, to dirty looks on the street when they exhale. At the same time, if you are over 18 and 21, respectively, vaping e-cigarettes or vaping cannabis is a lifestyle choice. One company believes vaping does not have to impact the environment or other people. PHILTER™Labs, Inc is empowering responsible adults with the choice to vape in a traditional manner and to filter emission clouds based on a particular environment. Philter recently debuted the world’s first 4” x ½” dual-function filter. Developed by medical device experts with more than 20 years of experience, Philter’s first-of-a-kind technology empowers responsible adults to partake in universally acceptable vaping behavior. Personal rights and personal choice to vape or not to vape are essential in a polite society.

Learning from the past.

The legal cannabis industry is still new, but we’re smart enough today to learn from the past and make the future better. Cannabis and ancillary businesses are not just looking for opportunities to provide what the Wild West provided (gold and the pick and shovel) they are looking to the future to solve what happens after the entire industry regulates.

Tweed, a subsidiary of Smiths Falls-based cannabis producer Canopy Growth, partnered with TerraCycle, an American recycling company, to introduce the first Canada-wide cannabis packaging recycling program, the companies announced Monday.

While most of the news and discussion about cannabis focuses on consumables, responsible professionals are proactively looking ahead and developing solutions to address any social issues that arise with normalization.

Sexist advertising doesn’t cut it.

As this newly legal industry develops, please don’t think that it will accept girls in thongs and half shirts in our advertising (as the beer industry did in the 90s), or women in skin tight dresses at our trade shows (as auto shows still do) or women objectified in any other form. Organizations are being created daily to promote women in this industry. Kyra Reed, leader of Women Entrepreneurs in Cannabis, started a movement three years ago with the sole purpose to support women in this industry. The momentum of her #BetterTogether movement hasn’t slowed down. Related: The Marijuana Advertising Double Standard Is Stifling Our Industry

The time is now for social justice.

Business opportunities abound in the cannabis industry and investors are making an unprecedented amount of cash available for new ventures. In spite of this, blacks and hispanics are having a different experience than whites in the ‘green rush’. Many remain locked out of this huge economic event based on historical persecution targeting people of color. Fortunately, men and women are taking bold steps to address and repair the damage done. People and government are beginning to reinvest in the communities impacted by the war on drugs. Dasheeda Dawson, a.k.a. The WeedHead™, is using legal and regulatory measures to confront social injustices. In an article she wrote, Cannabis Legalization Must Include Restorative Justice, Dawson states “...the greatest potential of the cannabis industry -- (is) to serve as an equalizer on a playing field with built-in advantages for some and disadvantages for many others.” Even industry organizations are stepping up. The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) was involved in producing a viral campaign designed to educate citizens of New York on the inequity of marijuana laws and advocate for reinvesting cannabis revenue into communities that have been most impacted by criminalization. Related: This Is Non-Negotiable: Cannabis Legalization Must Include Restorative Justice

Community support locally.

Oakland-based The Hood Incubator works to increase the participation of black and brown communities in the legal cannabis industry. Through their three core areas of work -- community organizing, policy advocacy and economic development -- they are creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem of industry access, resources, and support that benefits, rather than harms, black and brown communities. Only two-years old, The Hood Incubator has built a membership of more than 2,000 people nationwide. They’ve supported black and brown entrepreneurs through their Cannabis Business Accelerator program- the first people of color focused cannabis accelerator in the nation. They’ve launched a cannabis industry apprenticeship program to build the pipeline of living wage, locally-based jobs available to their communities. They continue to work closely with the Oakland City Council and community members to develop and implement the nation’s first Cannabis Equity Program. Related: Oakland Strives to Rejuvenate Economically by Becoming California's Cannabis Capital

Mother Nature thanks you.

As one of the fastest-growing channels in both the cannabis and nicotine markets, the vape market creates mountains of waste. From the consumer-focused packaging, to the vaporizer battery and pods, the amount of refuse generated is profound. Cannabis activist Katie Stone, says “Responsible recycling is necessary in the cannabis industry and, frankly it’s the right thing to do.” What works in other industries can be used as a blueprints for similar cannabis recycling programs. TerraCycle, known for recycling the unrecyclable, is geared to putting an end to the waste, one cartridge, vape pen, childproof bag at a time. Unfortunately, it is illegal to re-use the cannabis-holding portions of vape pens, however the materials that make up a vape pen -- from plastics to electronics and batteries -- can be recycled.

Smoke gets in my eyes.

With vaping cannabis and the use of e-cigarettes on the rise, it’s no surprise that people who vape and smoke are still getting push back from non-smokers. Everything from being sent outside to enjoy their vape, to dirty looks on the street when they exhale. At the same time, if you are over 18 and 21, respectively, vaping e-cigarettes or vaping cannabis is a lifestyle choice. One company believes vaping does not have to impact the environment or other people. PHILTER™Labs, Inc is empowering responsible adults with the choice to vape in a traditional manner and to filter emission clouds based on a particular environment. Philter recently debuted the world’s first 4” x ½” dual-function filter. Developed by medical device experts with more than 20 years of experience, Philter’s first-of-a-kind technology empowers responsible adults to partake in universally acceptable vaping behavior. Personal rights and personal choice to vape or not to vape are essential in a polite society.

Learning from the past.

The legal cannabis industry is still new, but we’re smart enough today to learn from the past and make the future better. Cannabis and ancillary businesses are not just looking for opportunities to provide what the Wild West provided (gold and the pick and shovel) they are looking to the future to solve what happens after the entire industry regulates.

Tweed x TerraCycle Launched a Canada-Wide Recycling Program

Canada's first country-wide Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program is launching thanks to cannabis brand Tweed and TerraCycle, a company that works with hard-to-recycle materials. While the recycling program has been available to consumers in select stores and provinces prior to this point, this initiative is now rolling out across Canada. To divert a variety of cannabis product packaging from landfills, the recycling program will allow for the many containers, tubes and packages from this legal new industry to be collected and potentially even upcycled into other products. The Tweed x TerraCycle Cannabis Packaging Recycling Program accepts all cannabis containers from all licensed producers like tins, plastic bags, tubes and even items like bottles with child-proof caps, which are ordinarily tough to recycle. On its drop-off boxes, Tweed makes a note about cannabis packaging, clarifying that it "Doesn't matter if you got it from another brand, we happily recycle it all."

Packaging Is Piling Up

 

  Remember the Reddit poster claiming to have received 16 separate shipping boxes from the Ontario Cannabis Store after he ordered 21 grams and a beaker bong? Stealth or environmentally-friendly packaging has certainly not been the friend of legalization in Canada. Compared to the plastic baggies that black market consumers are accustomed to, the byproducts of legalization can be shocking—especially in cases where the container only contains 1 gram. In true Canadian fashion, the industry has come together to make some improvements. Canopy Growth, the parent company of cannabis brand Tweed, partnered with TerraCycle to develop what they say is the first national recycling program for the Canadian cannabis industry. They place their boxes in cannabis retail stores across Canada, where consumers can toss in any empty cannabis packaging that they have. If you’re in Ontario, the only place you can currently find a box is in Tweed’s visitor centre in Smith Falls, but we expect to see the recycling program proliferate as cannabis stores become more common. Health Canada, for its part, is taking steps to tackle packaging sizes. Deep inside their plan to regulate edibles and extracts come Oct. 2019 is a proposal that would allow licensed producers to use expanded panels on labels, such as peel-back and accordion panels, to display certain mandatory information, and allow packages to shrink in size.

It’s not just you: time certainly does fly, and yes, a lot has happened in the six months since cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17, 2018.   From product shortages and store openings (and closings), to refined regulations and programs for recycling packaging, we’ve compiled six of the biggest stories in Canadian cannabis, so far.   Canada’s system to legalize recreational cannabis isn’t perfect, but as you’ll read, there sure has been much progress alongside the trials and tribulations.   Alberta Leads the Pack on Retail   Photo by Jesse Milns for Leafly   Alberta is leading the pack with 75 recreational stores licensed by the province at press time, more than any other province.   Unlike other provinces, Alberta does not restrict producer-affiliated stores and even allows each company to operate up to 15% of all brick and mortar cannabis stores.   That’s led to a wide assortment of producer-affiliated chain stores, such as Nova Cannabis, Fire & Flower, and Spiritleaf, alongside individual mom-and-pop stores with names like, Celestial Buds and The Green Exchange.   Still, it’s not all lollipops and roses in the province. The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission stopped taking new retail store applications in Nov. 2018 citing a federal supply shortage, with one news outlet reporting that the regulator told them it might take as long as 18 months before the suspension is lifted.   Shortages are also the reason Ontario that has limited the number of licenses initially allotted to recreational stores. Twenty-five lucky retailers chosen via lottery are permitted to open up shop to recreational consumers in the province as of Apr. 1, but only a handful have, so far.   RELATED STORY   5 Canadian Cannabis Storage Solutions and Stash Bags   The supply shortage looks like it isn’t ending any time, with some industry personnel believing it could last for five years. However, it may be over sooner. The Financial Post, in February 2019, quoted Brock University Michael Armstrong as saying that barring unforeseen circumstances, “supply concerns will be resolved much more quickly than that” based on an analysis of the government’s recent industry data.   Medical Cannabis Will Soon Look a lot Like Rec’ Cannabis Photo by Jesse Milns   Government regulations gave licensed sellers of medical cannabis six months to continue selling patients cannabis products in old-format packaging, which up until now had labels that directly state the patient’s information and prescribe daily cannabis limits.   That means that patients will soon see their patient information dropped from containers of medical cannabis that producers courier to their home. Instead, if applicable, patients can use the “registration document” provided by their licensed seller to show to law enforcement authorities that they are legally permitted to carry more than the 30 grams that rec’ consumers can possess.   Some producers are even taking the opportunity to streamline their medical and recreational brands, which will make their medical and recreational cannabis products indistinguishable to the public.   A Quebec-based producer, for one, is discontinuing about a dozen products from its Hydropothecary line of medical cannabis, and will instead sell to its registered patient-clients cannabis from its HEXO line, which until now has been the brand of just their recreational cannabis line.   For better or worse, medical cannabis products will look a lot more like its recreational counterparts.   RELATED STORY   What’s the Difference? Recreational vs. Medical Cannabis in Canada The Industry Sees its First Store Casualty   That supply shortage sure is pesky. And it’s the top reason that Puff Puff Pass Headshop, one of two licensed cannabis retail stores in the Newfoundland municipality of Clarenville, has closed its doors for good.   The proprietor of the store told the Toronto Star in late January that its clientele wanted to purchase cannabis with no less than 20% THC, but that most of the products they received reached a maximum of 11 to 15%.   A call to the number associated with the store online revealed that the store has indeed shuttered but is still selling cannabis accessories in a local poolhall.   That has led some to question whether the province’s agency tasked with wholesaling cannabis is playing favourites. There are no signs that Canopy Growth-affiliated Tweed or Loblaw’s-affiliated C-Store locations are at risk of shutting down any time soon, although some stores have, at times, run out of product to sell.   Quebec Raising Minimum Age to 21 Photo by iStock   You would think that provincial governments would get less restrictive over time on the pot file. That’s not the case in Quebec, where debate is resuming in the National Assembly this month over the province’s plan to increase the minimum purchase age from 18 to 21. It’s an effort to curb youth use of the drug introduced by the Coalition Avenir Québec. The centre-right party campaigned on tightening cannabis regulations and was elected to power in the province in October.   Because they were elected with a majority government, it’s all but certain to happen, though it does have to snake its way through the governmental body.     RELATED STORY   Brushing Off Objections, Quebec to Raise Minimum Age, Ban Public Consumption   Once enacted, Quebec would become the only province to have a minimum purchase age above 19. The proposed legislation also seeks to prohibit the consumption of cannabis in public spaces. Black Market Dealers Thriving With Brazen Promotions   Buoyed by the recent legalization of cannabis and untethered by the restrictive promotion prohibitions that are found the regulated market, illegal sellers are turning to increasingly brazen promotion tactics that have left legal producers unsure how to beat them.   They’re already skirting federal criminal offences for selling illegal product, so there’s little incentive to comply with the promotion rules also found in the Cannabis Act.   RELATED STORY   Why Canada’s Mail Order Marijuana Business Is Not Going Away   In a recent interview with Yahoo News, Greg Engel, CEO of licensed producer Organigram, told the outlet that the companies faces “huge challenges” and that, “we continue to hear stories about online or same-day delivery people in major cities in Canada going around and giving out free product with their website address and phone.”   The CEO added, “They are doing things that we would never do.”   Packaging Is Piling Up   Photo by Jesse Milns   Remember the Reddit poster claiming to have received 16 separate shipping boxes from the Ontario Cannabis Store after he ordered 21 grams and a beaker bong? Stealth or environmentally-friendly packaging has certainly not been the friend of legalization in Canada.   Compared to the plastic baggies that black market consumers are accustomed to, the byproducts of legalization can be shocking—especially in cases where the container only contains 1 gram.   In true Canadian fashion, the industry has come together to make some improvements. Canopy Growth, the parent company of cannabis brand Tweed, partnered with TerraCycle to develop what they say is the first national recycling program for the Canadian cannabis industry. They place their boxes in cannabis retail stores across Canada, where consumers can toss in any empty cannabis packaging that they have.   If you’re in Ontario, the only place you can currently find a box is in Tweed’s visitor centre in Smith Falls, but we expect to see the recycling program proliferate as cannabis stores become more common.   Health Canada, for its part, is taking steps to tackle packaging sizes. Deep inside their plan to regulate edibles and extracts come Oct. 2019 is a proposal that would allow licensed producers to use expanded panels on labels, such as peel-back and accordion panels, to display certain mandatory information, and allow packages to shrink in size.   By Harrison Jordan| April 17th, 2019|Business, Medical Marijuana, Politics  

The Regina store has been open only a few months, but Wiid Boutique has flourished and grown as one of the new entries in the burgeoning legal pot industry. “Friday-Saturday’s are the busiest days for us, but average person count for a day would be about 350,” said the aptly named manager Caroline Green, who also represents the retail cannabis store’s six owners. People from all walks of life come to the store — first-timers and lifelong users alike — and the ages of the customers range anywhere between 19 and 95 years old. “We do get people in who are 80 years old who say, ‘I’ve never tried this before’ and because it’s legal they’re wanting to come in and try our products,” said Green. “It’s really cool.” Wiid, at 4554 Albert St. in south Regina, opened about five weeks after cannabis was legalized in Canada on Oct. 17. Green says staff have worked hard to stay ahead of the inventory shortages that have plagued the industry so far. “We’ve come close a couple of times, but we so far have not had to close our doors,” she said. “That’s definitely a good thing.” Other shops haven’t been as fortunate. The Cannabis Co. YQR opened on Nov. 10 but had to temporarily close down less than two weeks later after running out of supply. “Out of product closed til next week’s shipment. Sorry for any inconvenience!!” read a sign posted on their front door on Nov. 19. But six months in, a Saskatoon retail cannabis store owner says such growing pains for the new industry are easing. “(The supply chain) has definitely gotten better since the end of last year,” said Cierra Sieben-Chuback, owner and operator of Living Skies Cannabis in Saskatoon. “I don’t like to say that out loud just in case it seems to not be like that anymore, but so far, it seems to be getting much better.” Like Wiid Boutique, Living Skies Cannabis never had to shut down because of a supply shortage. Sieben-Chuback credits a lot of that to managing inventory through strategies like a product limit. Until a couple of months ago, the store had a two-item limit per visit to the store. Customers could still visit the store multiple times a day, but couldn’t buy more than two items at a time. “People are generally really excited — so happy that this is an option for them now,” Sieben-Chuback.

Education and enforcement

While it’s now clear where residents can buy legal cannabis, Regina police Chief Evan Bray said some are still struggling to figure out where it’s legal to consume it. “That’s something I think people are still scratching their heads on,” said Bray. “They think it’s fine to walk down the street or stand in a Tim Horton’s coffee shop and consume it. And that’s not the case.” The RPS took an educational approach to legalization in 2018, but Bray said residents can expect to see that shift to more enforcement, especially for tickets under the provincial cannabis act that target public consumption and possessing more than the legal amount. “At some point we need people to understand that there are consequences if you don’t follow the law,” he said. A handful of those kinds of tickets have been issued in Regina in 2019 so far, but police are noticing a more concerning trend since legalization — cannabis in the hands of minors. “When legalization occurred I think one of the pillars of the whole strategy from the federal government standpoint was to try and protect our youth, keep it out of the hands of youth,” said Bray. “Well that has not necessarily been the case that we have seen.”

Related

• No cannabis-related spike noted in impaired driving after legalization

The majority of pot-related calls for service have been regarding minors possessing cannabis, he said. School resource officers are dealing with it on a weekly basis in high schools across the city. Bray said officers will often follow up not just with the youth but their parents as well to make sure they understand their child was in a situation where they could have been charged. “Oftentimes that leads to deep conversations at the family supper table around safety and making good decisions,” said Bray. Saskatoon police are seeing similar trends according to Chief Troy Cooper. “We wrote about 100 tickets so far and about a third of those tickets were for minors possessing cannabis and almost a third for possession within a vehicle,” said Cooper. In contrast to the RPS’s initial education over enforcement approach, the Saskatoon Police Service opted to enforce from the start. “I’m sure that the laws were always applied with some discretion, but there was no guarantee initially that there would be a warning rather than enforcement,” he said. The SPS has so far charged three people with driving while impaired by cannabis. But not a ton of enforcement has been needed over the past six months. With only three of the seven retail cannabis permits in active use, Cooper said the rollout of cannabis has been slow and the full impact of legalization has not been felt yet. “When the legislation came into effect, we sort of expected a light switch response and we haven’t seen that at all,” said Cooper. “It’s been really sluggish and slow and I think to be honest I think that’s a good thing.” Both SPS and RPS have acquired a roadside drug screening device called the Draeger DrugTest 5000, which tests saliva for the presence of cannabis. The device is ready but has not been used in Regina yet. Housed in the police station, Bray said officers rely more on drug recognition experts (DREs) and anticipates the Draeger will likely be used in a check stop setting when officers are conducting a large volume of stops in one location. Cooper hopes to have Saskatoon’s Draeger operational within a few weeks. As of late March, Regina police had not charged anyone with driving while impaired by cannabis since legalization, but according to SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, at least two claims have been denied due to cannabis impairment since Oct. 17. “We do not code the files differently for drugs (cannabis) than we do alcohol so there is no way for us to pull comprehensive data on this,” he said in an emailed statement.

Coming soon

The Saskatchewan government received 1,502 submissions vying for 51 permits to legally sell cannabis. Saskatoon, which has the most permits available at seven, received 177 submissions. Regina received 169 submissions competing for six available permits. Of those six permits in Regina, only three shops have opened so far, but at least two more are set to open in the coming months.

Lucid Cannabis

A Lucid Cannabis store is under construction at 681 Albert St. — formerly a Coney Island Poutine location and a Burger Baron before that — according to president and CEO Mike Podmoroff. Podmoroff said the brand embraces an adventurous and outdoorsy spirit. Based out of Edmonton, the plan is to have a chain of stores from Ontario west. “One of the things that the consumer can expect to see in our stores are sample bars,” he said. “It’s a sensory bar that is going to have a number of products on display that customers can look at, smell and get a sense of the experience before buying. Not everybody’s doing that.”

Garden Variety

Based out of Ontario, Avana Canada Inc. has partnered with Native Roots dispensary in Colorado to open several retail cannabis stores in Canada called Garden Variety. Currently operating four in Manitoba, the chain will come to Regina sometime this summer and will be located in the Scarth Street Mall. “We recently were given approval to begin the construction. The designs have been approved. Ultimately, we’re moving ahead as fast as we can,” said Zubin Jasavala, president and CEO of Avana in an interview in late March. Jasavala said all store staff, including management, at the new store will be hired locally and overseen by a regional manager for central Canada who is based out of Manitoba. “We’re really excited to be operating in Regina,” he said.

Prairie Records

Two Prairie Records stores are scheduled to open in Saskatoon on April 20, coincidentally 4-20 Day when enthusiasts celebrate pot. The musically-inclined cannabis retail store offers a unique experience by pairing music recommendations with their cannabis products. Product information is displayed in the form of a faux vinyl record to make the information easier to digest and recreate the ease of flipping through records at your favourite vintage vinyl store. Bring your chosen “record” to the front to get the actual product and receive a mini version of the record with a music playlist to take home. There are currently locations in Warman, Sask., Calgary and Edmonton. The stores are owned and operated by Westleaf Inc. which also just launched a province-wide online retail site.

Rooting for recycling

As retail stores continue to pop up and attempt to carve out a niche in the market, sellers and consumers are beginning to look at the environmental impact of legalization. Tweed and TerraCycle have teamed up to develop what they’re calling the first national recycling program in the Canadian cannabis industry. All product packaging from Tweed can be brought back to the store for recycling, and they’ll even accept some packaging from other retail stores. “It’s super important. Anybody who’s not concerned about it I don’t think is doing their job right,” said Cierra. “We have to be conscious about our environment to keep the planet clean.” At Living Skies Cannabis, packaging is collected and then picked up by Tweed and TerraCycle for recycling, where it’s melted down into plastic pellets and used to make new products. “People’s main concerns have been kind of with the price and with the amount of packaging involved, which is actually really cool to see how environmentally-conscious consumers are,” said Sieben-Chuback regarding legal retail cannabis.

Show me the money

According to data collected by Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan ranked the lowest of the provinces when it came to sales from cannabis stores in December 2018. The Prairie province accounted for only $1 million of the $55.2 million in national total sales from cannabis stores. The most sales came out of Alberta with $13.2 million, followed closely by Quebec at $12 million. Data is collected on a monthly basis, and December is the most current statistics available on the StatsCan website. In the last three months of 2018, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia saw the highest rate of cannabis use among people aged 15 years old and up. Nova Scotia saw the highest rate at 21.6 per cent of people 15 or older, Quebec saw the lowest at 13.6 per cent and Saskatchewan came in at 16.5 per cent.

Longing for local

Even though business is going well for Wiid Boutique in Regina, Green said there’s an important element that’s missing from Saskatchewan’s budding retail cannabis industry. “People love to support local businesses and being a local business as well, it would be amazing for us to be able to provide local product,” she said. There has been interest in small-town and rural Saskatchewan to set up shop as a licensed producer, but so far there are none in operation. A facility called OneLeaf-Onyx announced plans in early 2019 to produce more than 9,000 pounds of cannabis per year. In an interview in January 2018, head of OneLeaf Cannabis Corp. Mike Templeton said he hoped to be the first licensed producer located in Regina or its surrounding area. Construction was expected to wrap up in the summer of 2018 with operations beginning in the fall of 2018, but the facility is still not operational. Several requests made by the Leader-Post for an interview recently were unsuccessful. “We’re definitely interested in having those products in our store but it’s just not available to us right now,” said Green.

On the sidelines

Meanwhile, unlicensed cannabis operations are still posing a challenge for the provincial government. In November 2018, the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation announced the opening of the Mino-Maskihki Cannabis Dispensary. The same week, the First Nation filed a lawsuit against the provincial government in Regina Court of Queen’s Bench. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, which oversees cannabis sales, has said the First Nation must have a provincial licence to open a pot store legally and sent a warning letter saying provincial and federal legislation still applies on reserve land. The store remains open as the First Nation and provincial government work towards a resolution. Pat Warnecke, the owner of Best Buds Society, announced he was consulting for the First Nation last year. He faced several charges related to his own operations during the Regina police service’s anti-pot shop campaign, which began with raids in March 2018. He tried to keep Best Buds running despite the police crackdown. Out on court conditions not to operate a dispensary, Warnecke said he’s still working to connect patients with cannabis by facilitating exchanges between patients growing their own cannabis and other patients in need through online ordering. “We facilitate the taking of the orders and making sure people get connected with the cannabis they need, simple as that,” said Warnecke in an interview last month. He said he can’t disclose where the cannabis supply is coming from, but said a lot of patients are providing their extra cannabis to other patients free of charge. When asked if money is being exchanged for cannabis in some cases, he said he could not say. “I’m not going to incriminate anyone or anything else like that, but I’m sure it is because patients are patients,” said Warnecke. “They need to access cannabis and they’re not going to be bent over by our government and have to be three times more than they had to before.” On the Best Buds Society website people with an account can order cannabis online and have it delivered. Warnecke said they get about 200 people a day ordering online. “In our opinion, it is legal,” he said.

Looking forward

High wholesale prices due to a lack of supply are expected to decline over the next six to 12 months, according to Jasavala. “We’re going to be adjusting price over time as the wholesale costs come down,” he said of the soon-to-be Garden Variety store in Regina. In the meantime, the company has made strategic partnerships to ensure access to a broad range of products. “I think there’s growing pains in the industry right now, but we’re trying to stay ahead of all of those issues,” said Green. “We’ve managed to keep a wide variety of our menu and try to make ourselves stand out.” And she said an already busy store is about to get “a heck of a lot busier” as Wiid Boutique goes online. “We’re just excited about the industry,” she said.