Image Credit: CFJC Today

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: Government delays for retail cannabis more than just a hiccup

May 3, 2019 | 8:10 AM

IMAGINE STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS. You want to open up a neighbourhood beer and wine store.

It’s a highly regulated business, so you go through all the government hoops and get your city business license. You secure your supplier, rent a storefront and make plans to do some staff hiring. Now you’re just waiting on the province to give you the final okay.

You’re waiting… and waiting…

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And six months after getting your business license, six months of paying rent on your storefront, you still can’t open your business because you haven’t heard word one from the government.

That’s exactly what is happening for more than a few entrepreneurs, not hoping to open liquor stores, but cannabis stores.

When legal cannabis kicked in last October, this space said the problems wouldn’t come from the actual consumption of the product; the problems would come from the red tape. Sure enough.

On CFJC’s Balance of Power this week, Attorney General David Eby tried to explain the delay. Eby said the government is doing rigorous background checks on its applicants, and that has led to a backlog. Eby apologized for the frustration being felt, but he also said there will be more frustration still to come.

A few delays in this process were to be expected. After all, this process is attempting to bring a huge underground industry into the daylight. Cannabis use is happening on the same scale as alcohol use in our community, and while many are still getting their product from their old dealers, that may be in part due to the lack of legal retail options. There were bound to be hiccups in the process.

But six months of hiccups is enough to make you want to end it all before the business is even off the ground. And for some of these businesses, it just might.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.