Craft cannabis farmers push for policy reforms at cannabis summit in Victoria

Shaurya Kshatri · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Craft cannabis producers from crossed British Columbia gathered successful Victoria this agelong play for the B.C. Craft Cannabis Summit, calling connected the state to instrumentality argumentation changes they accidental would bolster the economy, make jobs, and presumption B.C. arsenic a large subordinate successful the planetary cannabis tourism sector.

The event, which ran done April 16 to 20, comes amid increasing economical strain successful the state with caller U.S. tariffs and weakening forestry revenues. The B.C. Craft Farmers Co-op says the province's $2-billion cannabis assemblage could assistance capable the gap.

"With deficits increasing and forestry successful decline, present is the clip to clasp B.C.'s cannabis bequest and afloat recognize its imaginable to diversify our economy," the co-op's president Tara Kirkpatrick said successful a statement.

The radical has laid retired 5 projected actions the state could instrumentality successful the adjacent 90 days to enactment growth, including eliminating a 15 per cent "proprietary fee" connected nonstop transportation income and reducing the $7,500 workplace gross retail licence fee, which allows cannabis producers successful B.C. to merchantability products astatine a store located astatine their cultivation site.

Other projected measures see allowing depletion astatine retail cannabis farms, and giving cannabis growers adjacent cultivation presumption — entitling them to the aforesaid taxation and programme benefits arsenic different farms.

"Cannabis is treated similar a harvest successful each mode but for erstwhile it comes to workplace presumption successful B.C.," said Kim Qvist, manager of Life Cycle Botanicals successful Nanoose Bay, who attended the summit. "Businesses are being forced to exit. Cannabis has brought successful millions successful taxes and there's conscionable been zero successful support."

The four-day acme wrapped Sunday with a 4/20 solemnisation extracurricular the B.C. Legislature.

Potential for cannabis tourism successful B.C.

In summation to regulatory reform, the acme besides spotlighted what immoderate researchers and advocates accidental is simply a large missed opportunity: cannabis tourism.

"Cannabis is ineligible to buy, but there's obscurity ineligible to devour it successful nationalist lounges, sampling rooms oregon outdoor patios," said Qvist. "It would beforehand safer usage and assistance trim the stigma."

With planetary cannabis income expected to surpass $500 cardinal successful 2025 and the U.S. cannabis tourism marketplace estimated astatine $17 billion, she says B.C. risks missing out.

A caller federally funded survey by University of Guelph researchers says that the lack of depletion regulations is holding B.C. back.

"If there's anyplace successful Canada that should person traction for cannabis tourism, it's Vancouver Island," said Dr. Susan Dupej, co-author of the survey and a postdoctoral probe fellow. "There are farms here. It's a assets conscionable waiting to beryllium leveraged."

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But for the assemblage to flourish, Dupej says the state needs to make "spaces of societal consumption"—places wherever radical tin legally usage cannabis successful societal settings, overmuch similar bars oregon wine-tasting rooms.

She says cannabis tourism doesn't ever person to impact depletion and could see tours, and acquisition workshops.

Last year's BC Craft Cannabis Summit successful Prince George called connected the state to make a cannabis tourism strategy, including a "B.C. Cannabis Trail," — overmuch similar the fashionable B.C. Ale Trail — and impermanent depletion licenses for venues and events.

Province says it's listening

In a connection to CBC News, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General said B.C. recognizes cannabis arsenic a "key economical maturation sector" and is moving to enactment tiny producers.

"The state has been gathering with manufacture and has heard astir the challenges businesses look and however cannabis tin further stimulate B.C.'s economy," the ministry says in the connection . "We are ever looking astatine however we tin heighten this increasing industry."

The ministry says it's moving with the national authorities connected reforms, including a reappraisal of the excise tax, which is impacting the "financial viability of galore B.C. producers."

According to the province, cannabis is featured successful respective 2025 mandate letters with goals to enactment tourism, agriculture and nationalist safety.

"B.C. has made respective changes to provincial regulations and continues to marque adjustments that enactment the ineligible sector, displace the illicit market, and displacement users of illicit cannabis to regulated products, portion prioritizing nationalist wellness and safety."