It’s time for cannabis tourism to be taken seriously in Calgary and Alberta — in fact, in all of Canada.
But let’s focus on Calgary.
Coun. Kourtney Penner is introducing a notice of motion to allow for the sale of cannabis at festivals and events to streamline rules and bring them in line with those for alcohol. Selling cannabis at festivals and events is allowed in Alberta, but not in Calgary, because of how the original bylaw was written in 2018. The current bylaw says cannabis sales have to be tied to a provincial licence, which has to be done at a brick-and-mortar location.
This was a way of preventing (illegal) online sales, but the unintended consequence is we don’t have sales at festivals and events, unlike other cities, such as Edmonton. Removing this roadblock is a step toward better and safer access to cannabis, but city council needs to do more to grow the cannabis tourism industry in Calgary.
Six years after cannabis was legalized in Canada, tourism has yet to take root, and with an increasing number of U.S. states moving to legalization, the window for us to become a world leader is closing.
In 2022, Cannabis tourism was estimated to be a $17-billion industry in the United States, and with more states moving to legalization, it has since grown. Cannabis tourism should be worth billions in Canada as well, but there is currently no tracking of spending data at the municipal, provincial or federal level. A lack of co-ordinated policy is also preventing the Canadian sector from growing.
Read the full article at The Calgary Herald
