Farm-to-gate cannabis sales approved in B.C.

B.C. cannabis farmers will soon be able to cut out the middleman without breaking the law.

The province is bringing a “producer retail store licence” into effect on Nov. 30 to allow growers to sell non-medical marijuana from a store located on the cultivation site, according to a media release from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

Anyone with a federal standard cultivator, micro-cultivator and nursery licence can apply. As of August 2022, there were 212 federally-licensed cannabis producers in B.C., the ministry says.

These changes support a “legal cannabis economy that is inclusive of Indigenous and rural communities,” the ministry says.

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“The fourth anniversary of the legalization of cannabis in B.C. is around the corner, and we continue to look for ways to support growth of the legal market while providing safe and accessible options for British Columbians,” Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said in the release. “The PRS licence is another way we are working to support the success of B.C.-based producers.”

Although the most producers can’t apply for the license until Nov. 20, one farm-to-gate cannabis facility is already operating in B.C. as the result of the government-to-government agreement between the Province and Williams Lake First Nation.

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