Cannabis suppliers purge stock ahead of legalization
B.C. cannabis dispensaries are clearing their shelves so they can stay in the government’s good books when Canada legalizes recreational pot next week.
After the federal Cannabis Act comes into force on Oct. 17, dispensaries carrying grey-market, non-medical cannabis will remain illegal. Licensed private cannabis stores in B.C. will only be allowed to carry products shipped from the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch bearing an excise stamp.
While dispensary operators await provincial and municipal licences, they’ll be subject to inspections and could be shut down by local police or B.C.’s new Community Safety Unit for having illicit product, which they are now clearing out.
Meantime, the federal government is delaying the sale of concentrates such as vape pens and shatter until next fall, so customers are hoarding those products.
Friday at the Eggs Canna dispensary on Commercial Drive, a sign in the front window read: “YOLO (you only live once) Clearance Sale Now!” Inside, a half-dozen customers scoped out deals on pre-rolled joints and concentrates.
Stefana Herman from the dispensary chain’s corporate department said the price of everything but dried cannabis had been reduced by 10 to 50 per cent in order to clear out stock. They’ll be closing their four B.C. stores ahead of Oct. 17 and wait for provincial licences before reopening.
“The province has been pretty clear that staying open illegally ... could impact your ability to get a provincial licence,” she said. “We’re not taking that risk.” Herman said it’s hard to predict how high sales will go in the coming days but said that right now, concentrates are going fast.
“People are stocking up, for sure,” she said. “But dried cannabis as well because under the new regime, you’re not going to be able to see what it looks like, so people are taking advantage of being able to see it and smell it while they can.”
Lindsay Bell, a manager at Buddha Barn Medical Cannabis on West 4th Avenue, said her shop sold out of concentrates on Wednesday.
“Honestly, we’re getting flooded with people who are just stocking up,” she said. “That’s what we’ve been telling people as well. We’ve been prepping people for months now for this.”
But customers are also snatching up dried cannabis, oils and whatever else they can get their hands on due to uncertainty about B.C.’s product levels and quality come legalization day, Bell said.
She said Buddha Barn was keeping enough product on hand to operate until Oct. 17, when they will decide whether to close temporarily in order to secure licences. The shop will continue to operate as a head shop, selling bongs, pipes and rolling papers to stay afloat while they wait, she said.
Don Briere, owner of Weeds Glass and Gifts, said that while his seven B.C. dispensaries set limits on concentrate purchases to prevent resale, he’s heard of customers at other shops making repeat visits to stock up on those products.
“I’ve heard them say that they ’re buying out all their gummy bears, cookies, concentrates or anything that is going to be banned in the near future,” he said. “They’re loading up.”
Briere said the B.C. government’s warehouse was expected to be well-stocked for dried cannabis and oils, so he believes that most people stockpiling those products now are doing so out of concern that prices will be too high after taxation.
He plans to close some of his shops to come into compliance with government regulations.
Online retailers of cannabis concentrates have been winding up sales, too.
Lone Tree Concentrates in Victoria posted a notice to its home page warning customers that it will be closing to go through the legalization process, so all orders must be placed by Monday.
Diamond Concentrates said it would stop taking orders after Friday and put sales on hold for legalization, while Thompson Caribou Concentrates shipped its last orders on Sept. 27.