Private sector to sell pot under provincial plan
Regina on deck for six outlets, with retailers selected in a lottery
Saskatchewan is planning to allow private retailers to sell cannabis products, once they are legalized this summer by the federal government.
Regina will be able to have six retailers, while Saskatoon can have seven. About 60 stores, which must be stand-alone shops and will also be able to sell products online, will be located in 40 communities throughout the province.
The Saskatchewan Party government is allowing communities with a population of at least 2,500 to be eligible for a cannabis retailer.
A recent government study found 45 per cent of citizens want to see Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SGLA) run the stores; however, that won’t be the case.
SLGA Minister Gene Makowsky was unable to say what the provincial government estimates the cannabis market to be worth in Saskatchewan, but some studies have pegged the market as being worth around $23 billion countrywide.
Makowsky described it as an “illdefined market right now” and said choosing to allow private retailers, rather then the province, to sell it “de-risks” the taxpayer and prevents “increasing the footprint of government.”
Who gets to be those retailers will be decided in a lottery of applicants by the province, according to Makowsky.
Eligibility for the lottery will be based on financial capacity, and ability to monitor the product’s supply chain and character (such as whether or not the applicant has a criminal record and who they associate with).
Right now, there are about 20 stores selling marijuana in either Regina or Saskatoon, and at least a handful more in other cities.
A partner in one of Saskatchewan’s best-known medical cannabis dispensaries is applauding the provincial government’s decision to leave pot sales in private hands.
Mikael Francis said Best Buds Society, which has outlets in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, will apply for sales permits because stand-alone dispensaries with experience and expertise are the best option for recreational sales.
“We believe that this isn’t something that should be taken lightly,” Francis said Monday. “A consultative approach, even in a recreational situation, would be important … the educational part of it is the most important part.”
Makowsky said those dispensaries, currently operating outside of the law given that marijuana has not yet been legalized, would be given no special treatment during the lottery process.
Asked why Regina is getting six stores when the current market shows the demand is higher than that, Makowsky said “the idea is to go slow and sort of roll it out in a reasonable way.”
“There could be more in the future as we analyze and assess how things are going,” he added, saying the province is trying to balance community concern and public safety with market access.
The lottery process is being used, according to Makowsky, because of the “time restraints we’re under” would make a request for proposal process “very difficult and very tight.”
Saskatchewan has long stated it hasn’t had enough time to deal with the federal government’s impending legalization of marijuana, despite the federal Liberals campaigning on the issue in the 2014 election. After they won a majority government, they stated their intent to legalize cannabis before 2019, before tabling legislation allowing for just that early in 2017.
Saskatchewan is the last province to introduce its legal framework for cannabis sales, and fuller details are still unknown, including the consumption age limit. dfraser@postmedia.com