Cannabis dispensaries get real Oct. 17, 2018; municipal leaders can’t wait
VICTORIA — On the day Canadians can legally buy and use recreational marijuana, the clock will start ticking for cannabis dispensaries already open across the country, say politicians and pot industry insiders.
On Oct. 17, provincial licensing, monitoring and approval regulations on legal marijuana retail standards will become law and the cannabis business will get real for marijuana shops currently operating outside the rules.
“These are the same people who cried for legalization,” said Vancouver Coun. Kerry Jang. “Now they’ve got it, and they have to play by the rules.”
Jang, who has been at the forefront of Vancouver’s push to bring medical and recreational marijuana into the marketplace, said he doesn’t expect to see boarded up dispensaries in October, but added that some won’t survive provincial regulation.