Unlike beer and wine, cannabis has a very short shelf life, so retailers can’t stock up in advance
B.C.’s independent cannabis producers and retailers say their livelihoods are in jeopardy after the provincial public service strike expanded to include provincial liquor and cannabis warehouses on Monday.
Store owners say they are already facing losses, and consumers can expect to see shortages of some of their favourite products.
Alannah Davis, CEO of Dabble Cannabis, a family owned cultivator in the Cowichan Valley and co-founder of the B.C. Cannabis Alliance, had strong words for the provincial government: “Get to the table and negotiate.”
“It is shameful that the province has known they don’t have a contract, and allowed it to impact workers at the BCGEU, and hundreds and thousands of people in independent cannabis and retail stores,” said Davis. “It’s a mess for everybody.”
Monday’s job action will stop the distribution of all cannabis that is distributed through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch’s central warehouses and wholesale customer service centres.
Small cannabis cultivators and retailers will be able to use the direct distribution network, but face several hurdles in fulfilling orders now that the government warehouses are shuttered.
Cannabis has a very short shelf life, so retailers can’t stock up in advance. And unlike beer and wine stores, cannabis retailers cannot use credit cards to purchase wholesale product and therefore must use cash, said Davis.
Read the full article at The Vancouver Sun
