B.C. greenlights cannabis delivery for all retailers starting next month
Cannabis retailers in British Columbia can start delivering recreational cannabis products to their customers beginning next month.
The B.C. government announced Thursday that all licensed non-medical cannabis sellers will be permitted to deliver their products starting July 15.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General says it’s another reason for cannabis consumers to “go legal” when buying cannabis in B.C.
“Since the federal legalization of non-medical cannabis, we’ve been working to support a strong and diverse cannabis industry, shrink the illicit market and keep products out of the hands of children and youth,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, in a statement Thursday.
“Allowing direct delivery to consumers isn’t just an advantage retailers have told us is vital to the viability of their sector, it’s also a way we can further our public safety goals,” Farnworth added.
The announcement follows the government’s decision last August to allow cannabis retailers to sell their products online.
Only adults will be allowed to receive cannabis delivery orders, and anyone who appears to be under 19 years old will have to present two pieces of identification, the province says.
The customer will not have to be a resident at the address or the person who placed the order. However, they will have to provide their name and signature to take delivery.
SECURITY VERIFICATION ELIMNATED FOR CANNABIS WORKERS
The province says it is also removing security verification requirements for cannabis workers to help eliminate delays in hiring. The province says the change will allow cannabis retailers to hire staff more quickly to implement delivery and will reduce costs for industry and government.
“Government has consulted, listened and really delivered,” said Jaclynn Pehota, executive director of the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers, in the statement Thursday.
“Knowing retailers can start hiring without delay and be ready to better meet customers’ needs when delivery becomes an option is incredibly welcome news,” Pehota said.
“Adding convenient home delivery to the mix of knowledgeable staff and regulated product can only serve to make the legal cannabis sector the source of choice for more people,” she added.
Since 2018, the B.C. government has completed security screening on more than 7,000 prospective cannabis workers and has not identified any significant risk of links to organized crime, according to the province.
Prospective retailers will remain subject to security screening when applying for a licence, according to the ministry.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.