It’s a strange new world since October 17 came and went in Canada and here in Jasper, at least, people are still getting used to the idea that weed is legal.

Heck, recreational cannabis consumers used to worry about getting busted by The Man…now The Man is their dealer!

Not everyone is affected by bill C-45, of course, but it’s certainly interesting—and frustrating—to learn about the unique challenges some local business owners are facing as they try to navigate the course that the provincial government is so haphazardly charting.

The rules set out by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission—the provincial body which regulates and distributes cannabis—are expectedly heavy-handed this early in the process. However, there are some aspects of the licensing framework which make us wonder: when they thought of these stipulations…were they high?

Some context: all potential cannabis retailers must check a laundry list of prerequisites before they can get their permit to sell cannabis. This includes extensive audits for the people who are opening the business, but also means the physical space itself must adhere to strict regulations set out by the AGLC. These aren’t your regular signage and floor plan inspections. Retailers must show, for example, that they’ve got a secure premises. However, the Fort Knox-like vaults mandated by the AGLC come at a pretty penny (and an eight-week delay). Meanwhile, the busiest port for weed shipments in any rural community—the local post office—has no such defences in place.

There are plenty of other anecdotes, but perhaps the most egregious part about this new pot paradigm—in policy terms, anyway—is that the body which tells retailers how and what and when they can sell is itself doing big business directly with consumers. Online sales of cannabis from the AGLC were almost a million bucks on day one of legalization. How’s that for a conflict of interest? On one hand the government is dictating costs and supply to small business owners, while on the other they’re making a mint. They’re undercutting the very folks they’re regulating. I’m shocked Albertans are standing for it.

It’s early days, I get it. Things will (hopefully) come out in the wash. But expecting rural entrepreneurs to abide by overbearing rules, wait patiently for their licenses and their product and then say thank you while the government rakes in the revenue is not just bad for Alberta businesses, it’s bad for Alberta.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com