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It’s encouraging to see that some provinces have begun taking the first steps toward increasing accessibility and consumer choice within their jurisdictions. We saw Ontario initiate limited-time curbside pickup and delivery services for licensed retailers, and now the Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba is hosting consultations toward legalizing and regulating cannabis consumption lounges and pop-up cannabis retail outlets and consumption sites.
With over 585,000 adult Albertans self-reporting cannabis use in Statistics Canada’s 2019 Q4 cannabis survey, it would be a promising step toward ensuring these consumers gravitate to the legal industry if Alberta were to follow suit and take action.
Think for a moment beyond the existing cannabis industry — beyond the cultivators, producers and retailers — and into the tourism and hospitality industry. How could Canada’s tourism and hospitality industry, which has been hammered by the pandemic, be facilitated into Canada’s cannabis industry?
Undertaken responsibly, visionary policy changes such as legalization and regulation of cannabis consumption lounges and pop-up cannabis retail outlets can create an entire new revenue stream associated with both domestic and international cannabis tourism.
Restaurants could offer guided cannabis culinary experiences without the presence of alcohol, where non-combustible, cannabis-infused delicacies highlight Canada’s regional agri-food specialties. Lounges could offer consumers dosage-controlled, non-combustible infused products and beverages in a manner similar to how alcohol is served at bars in all communities across the country.
