Cannabis sellers meet province over licensing issues – Winnipeg Free Press

Local cannabis sellers last week heeded the provincial government's concerns about licensing sales at convenience stores, gas stations and major retail chains.

Minister of Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Glen Simard, Manitoba's Minister responsible for Liquor, Lottery, Gaming and Cannabis, met with representatives of the newly formed Retail Cannabis Council of Manitoba, which supports changes to controlled licensing of cannabis in Manitoba.

In addition to the growing number of age-restricted cannabis shops in the province, Manitoba's regulations allow cannabis to be sold under a “controlled access” license in shops open to everyone.

Retailers who met with the minister want to see fences to prevent big box stores and gas stations from selling cannabis, and to limit the exposure of underage Manitobans to the substance.

Members of the council, the new provincial chapter of the Retail Cannabis Council of Canada, want Manitoba to replicate Saskatchewan's rules, which only allow controlled access in small communities with a population of less than 2,500.

Any other cannabis seller must operate from an age-restricted storefront.

Melanie Bekiewicz, Mistik Cannabis Co. owner, Vice President of the Retail Cannabis Council of Manitoba. The group started informally two years ago and has been registering for the past few months.

“If regulation is not considered, we might look at a larger retail chain like 7-Eleven or Circle K and consider licensing all of their stores so that it would be very disruptive to existing … license holders and We would have greater access to spaces with minors,” – said Bekevich.

He said he believed Simar and a representative from the justice minister's office “regarded the regular consultations with the industry very well.”

Bekiewicz said the group tried to meet with the former Progressive Conservative government, but to no avail.

“It's really important for us to have the opportunity to sit down with the minister in the early stages of their mandate.”

Simar made no commitments.

“We have listened to their concerns and will work with a range of stakeholders to see what opportunities the government has to improve the system,” his office said in a statement.

On Monday, Simar met with local cannabis advocate Steven Stairs, who is the founder of a group called the Cannabis Business Association of Manitoba. The group has no official members and Stairs is not professional. He raised safety concerns about requirements for opaque window coverings in cannabis shops and cracking down on the black market.

Ladder disagrees with changing the controlled access license, arguing that removing the ability for shops to legally sell cannabis could lead to more sales on the black market.

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