By Dylana Milobar

Small cannabis co-op consultations coming to Kamloops

Mar 30, 2019 | 8:42 AM

KAMLOOPS — Small scale cannabis producers and processors in B.C are being asked to give their input on what the industry’s co-operative business model should look like.

Next week, consultations will come to Kamloops and Kelowna as part of a province-wide initiative to give growers information on how co-operative models could help the smaller side of the marijuana industry.

David Hurford, Special Advisor to Grow Tech Labs, (the company facilitating the discussions), says there have already been a few smaller co-ops models operating in B.C ahead of the provincial push.

Hurford says the end goal of the consultations is to bring more of the business model to growers around the province. 

“This would be a provincial co-op,” He explains, “Those are focused on a couple of unique areas and the model that we’re looking at is a provincial co-op with the opportunity for a bunch of local, regional focused co-ops working alongside of it.”

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Hurford says the co-ops could provide B.C micro-producers and processors a safe alternative to the black market, while helping B.C remain an international cannabis leader. 

“It’s very important that these small farmers are a part of the legal system for the consumers,” Hurford says, “We’re a province that’s well known for quality cannabis around the world.”

Hurford says they have spoken with the provincial government a few times about the co-ops and have felt supported in their endeavor.

“They’re interested certainly, and I think the provincial government has been an advocate in Ottawa to try and make sure that the federal government follows through on its committments to make sure that smaller farmers and producers are very involved in the marketplace,” He says, “That’s not happening now and the provincial government will be a big help in terms of making the cake., because its really our economy, and especially the economy of rural communities that could really benefit significantly from this opportunity.”

As for who exactly qualifies as a ‘small producer’, Hurford says they are determined by the size of their operation.

“The federal regulations lay this out, and they put a cap on the definition of a small producer. And that’s someone who grows under 2,100 square feet,” He explains, “And same with processors. In terms of how much kilograms they’re allowed to process each year.”

According to Hurford, that outline is roughly only half the size of the neutral zone of a hockey rink, so they’re hoping the qualifications will extend for larger operations.

“We’re proposing the federal government raise that cap to 4,200 square feet at least,” He says, “And we think that will encourage more applications.”

Right now, Hurford says the co-op model proposed is not set in stone, as they’re still trying to figure out what is needed to enhance small producers. 

“We looked at the best business model, and co-ops have a strong track record of success around the world,” He says, “They are built for this situation- pooling the resources of a bunch of small farmers to ensure they can achieve the same economy to scale as large corporate producers. So we’re testing that out.”

The Kamloops consultations will take place Wednesday, April 3rd from 6 p.m to 8 p.m in the Alpine room at Thompson Rivers University.