Still “a lot of room for growth” in legal cannabis industry: B.C. solicitor general

KAMLOOPS — Sunday will mark three years since cannabis became legal in Canada.

B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth touted huge growth in the retail cannabis sector since the first retail store opened in Kamloops back in 2018. The province now has the third-highest number of legal cannabis retailers in Canada, as well as the second-highest number of production licenses in the country.

“Right now we’re doing about $30 million-a-month in sales in BC. We’ve got 375 private stores and another 30 government stores,” Farnworth tells CFJC Today. “And there’s still significant communities in the province that have yet to have legal stores, particularly in the Lower Mainland.”

Moving forward, the province is also looking at expanding the ways folks throughout B.C. can access cannabis products.

“Right now you can order online, for example, from government stores. There are people wanting to expand that — direct delivery, for example, looking at areas and opportunities around that. There’s a lot of work going on. As I said, it’s three years but it’s got huge potential in the province.”

The City of Merritt has approved three retail cannabis stores to operate in the municipality.