Is a Thriving Cannabis Black Market in BC the Truth?

Report Says Yes While Stats Say No – LPC

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun suggests that a “thriving” cannabis black market still exists. (Please see link below.) However, the numbers tell a different story. The newspaper’s investigation found that five illegal retail cannabis stores open on a Sunday night in Vancouver. One of them, Granville Cannabis, had been raided a month before.

“We know that there’s still the illegal stores up and operating,” said Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. “The community safety unit has been out. They initially do site visits … saying ‘Hey, here’s the rules. And if you don’t abide by them, then we will be paying you additional visits. There will be confiscation of product and administrative fines.’”

Indeed the numbers in the Vancouver Sun article seem to suggest that there isn’t really a thriving cannabis black market at all. Illegal stores are slowly getting squeezed out. Farnsworth said that 90 illegal retail outlets have shut down voluntarily and 36 are facing “administrative penalties”. Meanwhile, there were 256 licences for private stores and 16 government stores. Twenty-seven more private stores are waiting final inspection before opening.

Further, Statistics Canada’s most recent report on cannabis users said that, in 2019, B.C. had the lowest number of residents purchasing from legal sources at just 36.6 per cent. But that was up from 23 per cent in 2018.

There are several reasons why BC in general has the lowest legal cannabis sales in Canada, and why legal cannabis sales trailed from the beginning.

If anything though, the report below shows that the “thriving cannabis black market” is actually showing a reversal of fortune.

This editorial content from the LPC News Team provides analysis, insight, and perspective on current news articles. To read the source article this commentary is based upon, please click on the link below.

Click here to view full story at vancouversun.com