The inaugural B.C. Cannabis Summit wrapped up its three-day event on Saturday with a roundtable discussion aimed at bettering the future of the cannabis industry for both the seller and the consumer.

The main topics discussed by industry professionals at the event included the taxing of cannabis, current policy issues, and how starting a "farmgate" could help boost the economy in a post-pandemic world.

“It’s essentially the same thing you would have at an orchard where a person can come pick up some apples, pick up some pears, pick up some peaches,” said Irwin Chahal, owner of South Okanagan Cannabis.

B.C. Cannabis Summit in Kelowna discussing ways to improve growth

Kelowna wine tour operator Nicholas Wilson says he remembers his parents being gobsmacked when he told them five years ago he wanted to organize cannabis tours in the Okanagan, once Canada legalized the use of recreational weed.

"The baby boomer generation, you know, they were fed those indoctrinated documentaries like Reefer Madness," Wilson said of the 1936 American propaganda film filled with alarmist views about marijuana addiction.

"My mum was terrified if she smoked a joint, she would immediately go to heroin and prostitution." 

Destination Dispensary celebrates cannabis retail’s highest design concepts across North America. Each aesthetically elevated store featured has redefined and set a new standard for the cannabis shopping experience in the post-legalization era.

The mission at Burb — one of Canada’s earliest networks of licensed cannabis retail stores — has not wavered In the five years since I first discovered the dispensary chain that has evolved into an all-encompassing lifestyle brand.

The BC NDP’s former president is lobbying the B.C. government for a marijuana company.

Craig Keating joined the Vancouver office of Seattle-headquartered Strategies 360 as a vice-president last December after eight years as party president. On April 7, Keating registered on behalf of client Tantalus Labs Ltd., which produces medical cannabis, to arrange meetings with officials in the ministries of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

Keating is also lobbying the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, which distributes and retails non-medical cannabis.

Is it time for someone to be able to light up a joint in places other than private homes in Delta and elsewhere?

That’s what the province wants to know as they launch a public engagement campaign about cannabis consumption spaces.

The spaces would include a business or special event that provides cannabis for on-site sale and use. Examples include cafes, lounges, concerts or festivals, ticketed events and spas.

Trying to determine whether to permit such spaces and how they could be regulated, the province notes it is seeking input on a wide range of activities and considerations.

The B.C. government is looking for feedback on potentially permitting "cannabis consumption spaces" in the province, which would allow businesses or special events to offer the on-site sale and use of marijuana.

Examples of what a cannabis consumption space might look like include cafes and lounges – or special ticketed events, such as festivals, spas or cooking classes.

If B.C. does move forward with permitted cannabis consumption spaces, the province says other health regulations would still be in effect, such as no indoor smoking or vaping.

Local governments and First Nations would also have a say in where and whether consumption spaces would be allowed in their jurisdictions, similar to the process already in place for cannabis retail shops.

A cannabis dispensary to serve domestic air travelers is planned for Prince George Airport in British Columbia, Canada.

Travelers visiting Prince George Airport in British Columbia this summer could score some weed for their trip at a licensed dispensary, a sign that cannabis continues to be normalized in Canada since legalization in 2018. 

The Prince George City Council recently gave preliminary approval for Copilot, a cannabis dispensary planned by American business partners Owen Ritz and Reed Horton with the support of airport regulators. The venture was first announced in January by the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA), which said that Copilot is “pioneering cannabis for travel.”

Proximity to cannabis dispensaries is often seen as a positive, but recent research from Vancouver suggests otherwise

Housing values are influenced by their proximity to desirable or undesirable land uses. For example, lakefront properties command a premium while those facing a noisy highway sell for a discount. However, proximity to cannabis dispensaries has proven to be a riddle, with conflicting evidence suggesting positive, negative or no impact at all on housing values.

Pioneering cannabis campany has finally found a buyer for its flagship Vancouver Island property

The pioneering Nanaimo cannabis giant Tilray has finally pulled out of the city, taking with it roughly 170 jobs.

Last week, it found a conditional buyer for its flagship property in the city which was listed for more than $18 million.

Canada's first legal medical cannabis grower opened its Vancouver Island facilities to great fanfare in April 2014, a year-and-a-half before the election of the federal Liberal government on a promise to legalize cannabis.

Its departure from Nanaimo is a loss for the city.