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New Regulations Allow for Micro-Brewery Style Model for Marijuana Growers in BC

by Admin

The Victoria Cannabis Company is set to revolutionize the cannabis industry in British Columbia as one of the first farm-to-consumer operations to open in the province. Following the City of Victoria’s approval of rezoning for its Vic West operation on Thursday, the company is now authorized to establish a retail outlet at its facility at 340 Mary St. 

The facility will encompass four Health Canada licenses for a nursery, micro-cultivation and processing, as well as a sales facility on its ground floor. The company considers the retail outlet as the final piece of the puzzle to establish itself as a farm-to-consumer enterprise.

Despite being within 400 meters of another cannabis retailer, the majority of council voted to adopt bylaw amendments to allow the company to establish its retail operation. The store’s proximity to another cannabis retailer is in contrast with a city policy that dictates cannabis retailers should be more than 400 meters apart. However, Coun. 

Jeremy Caradonna is willing to support the venture and sees it as substantially different from the average cannabis operation, with a focus on its products and on those from British Columbia. Caradonna believes the farm-gate operation will be a game changer for Vic West and hopes it will bring new business to the neighborhood. 

The farm-gate ideal of shrinking the distance between consumer and producer is a step in the right direction for Caradonna, as it allows consumers to know where their recreational cannabis or medicine comes from.

There could also be tourism benefits of such an operation, with Chris Coleman likening it to the early days of craft beer on the island. He believes the farm-gate operation is the future and that the cannabis industry will follow the trajectory of the craft brewery industry. However, some councillors are opposed to the rezoning, with Stephen Hammond and Marg Gardiner expressing their disapproval.
 
Gardiner believes the store’s location in a residential area could disturb the residents due to added traffic, particularly if it becomes a tourism attraction. The province created the farm-gate license in 2020 to allow cannabis sales from stores located at federally licensed production sites in British Columbia. The City of Victoria is likely to reconsider its stance on rezoning for cannabis retail locations, and council has asked staff to reconsider the guidelines in place for where retailers can set up shop. The establishment of the Victoria Cannabis Company as a farm-to-consumer enterprise is set to change the face of the cannabis industry in British Columbia.