‘Craft cannabis’ growers fight for legal role, say B.C. jobs, tourism at stake
VANCOUVER — Travis Lane has been growing marijuana since high school, when his first pot plant swiftly withered and died in his bedroom closet. By the time he was 20, he had cultivated a small basement grow-operation.
Now in his mid-thirties, Lane owns an online dispensary and runs two 390-plant operations on Vancouver Island. He employs two growers and raises his plants without pesticides or liquid fertilizer.
“I don’t want to hide what I do. I’m good at what I do. I’m proud of being good at what I do,” he said. “I’ve been proactive my whole life in trying to move towards a time where I can openly be a cannabis professional.”
Lane holds two Health Canada licences for the grow sites, making his pot production legal for medical purposes. But with the federal Liberals committed to legalizing cannabis for recreational use, Lane is among the smaller-scale growers fighting for a seat at the table.