British Columbia’s legal cannabis stores are about to get some light inside. Last Thursday, the Attorney General’s office said cannabis retailers are no longer required to cover their windows, and that all cannabis retail staff will need to complete a new responsible-service training program called Selling it Right by the fall.
“These are great steps for progress for cannabis in general and for helping fight the stigma associated with it,”
These changes do not apply to the regulated medical cannabis industry.
“These changes underline our government’s efforts to be flexible in the rules governing the legal cannabis industry as we gather more experience in a regulated market,” Attorney General David Eby said in a statement. “These changes will help employees feel safer while at work and ensure cannabis workers will be thoroughly trained to be safe, smart and socially responsible in their jobs.”
Read more: BC’s weed business guide centralizes key info but does little to dismantle barriers to entry
Under new rules by the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, retailers can have clear windows but cannot have recreational cannabis products, packages or labels visible from the street.
Clear windows will allow store owners to organize their space in a way that protects minors from seeing cannabis, as per the Cannabis Act, while also increasing protection for retail staff, the government said.
When stores have clear windows it’s safer for both employees and people shopping in the store, Muse Cannabis president Geoff Dear said. With covered windows criminals can come in the store, lock the door and rob the place. But with uncovered windows there is a clear line of sight in and out of the store which improves safety, he said.
“These are great steps for progress for cannabis in general and for helping fight the stigma associated with it,” Dear said.
“The government saying, ‘Hey, you can have clear windows,’ means we’re starting to get treated like a normal, legal business instead of having to hide. It’s so beneficial because people want to come in and shop but if they don’t know what you sell or who you are — it doesn’t make us look good, it makes you look like a porno store.”
Read more at https://mugglehead.com/cannabis-retailers-in-bc-no-longer-required-to-cover-windowsbc-cannabis-retail-stores-clear-windows/
