More than 200 stakeholders are expressing interest in becoming Calgary marijuana retailers once the product is legalized, however officials have little to tell them when it comes to setting up an actual business.
“There are people interested in opening retail stores and I guess that’s an important point of clarification for the city… we do not have a process for that as of yet,” Matt Zabloski, the City of Calgary’s legalization of cannabis project lead, said in an interview Friday.
“We don’t have regulations for that, we don’t have zoning for that as of yet.”
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Zabloski also said any future business owner who believes that getting into the medical marijuana business now will give them a leg up once the retail side opens, is mistaken.
He also said there’s been a spike in interest in medical marijuana counselling.
“These will not be turned into retail businesses,” Zabloski confirmed.
“Anybody who has any type of business in the City of Calgary right now will have to go through the same process — regardless of what that business is — to get a retail store, come legalization.”
City officials will be able to start working on their bylaw once they receive more direction from the province, according to Zabloski. He said the plan is to meet before city council in April to discuss a “variety of amendments to city bylaws” that relate to retail marijuana.
One man who hopes to expand into Calgary’s marijuana scene is Jeff Mooij, president and CEO of 420 Investments. He’s been in talks with the city, but said he understands that there’s not much that can be done at this point.
“Everybody sort of needs to do the same thing and pump the breaks a little bit because there’s nowhere for you to go at this point in time,” Mooji said.
Marijuana is expected to be legal in Canada at some point this summer.