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
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.