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Medical/Recreational

Cannabis in British Columbia is legal for both medical and recreational use.

Timeline of marijuana legalization in British Columbia

2001: Medical cannabis became legal.

2018: On October 17th, recreational cannabis was approved when the federal Cannabis Act came into effect.

Cannabis laws

Knowing and following British Columbia cannabis laws is a must if you want to avoid penalties, police investigations, or license suspension. The only way to manage a successful and thriving dispensary is by ensuring that all operations are in compliance with laws and regulations. So, let’s dive deeper into the most important ones.

In British Columbia, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) manages non-medical cannabis regulations. 

License

There are two types of cannabis retail licenses: a retail store license and a marketing license. With the retail store license, you can open a dispensary. With the marketing license, you can promote cannabis products of licensed federal cannabis producers to licensed cannabis retail stores and people over 19 years old. The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) is responsible for issuing these licenses as it regulates the non-medical cannabis industry in British Columbia. You can apply for a license on the LCRB online application portal.

Note that you can sell only federally-approved cannabis products. Also, if you want to have more than one store, you must apply for a separate license for each store (not more than eight non-medical cannabis retail store licenses). 

To be eligible to apply, you:

  • Must be at least 19 years old
  • Must be a standalone business (public corporation, private corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, society or non-profit corporation, Indigenous Nation, or extra-provincial company registered in B.C.)
  • Must not be a federally licensed producer of cannabis
  • Do not have to be a citizen or resident of British Columbia or Canada

Remember that Indigenous Nation or the relevant local government must give a recommendation on the license being issued prior to the general manager considering it. The general manager can consider it but doesn’t have to follow it. However, the application process requires the LCRB to contact Indigenous Nation or the relevant local government for their recommendation.

To get a license, you need to provide the following:

  • Your business number 
  • BCeID log-in information
  • Your store name
  • Your store location
  • Parcel Identifier (PID) of your property
  • Information about the applicant and associates, including partners, directors, and direct and indirect shareholders (the list is not limited)
  • Information about other licenses you have or are applying for
  • Information about other licenses your associates are applying for or have
  • Consent for financial integrity checks and security screening
  • A declaration of business, financial, or family connections to any federally licensed cannabis producers and retail license holders or applicants for retail licenses

Types of fees and their cost:

  • Application fee ($7,500)
  • First-year licensing fee ($1,500)
  • Annual renewal fee ($1,500)
  • Security screening renewal fee

Note that the application fee for a cannabis retail store is generally non-refundable. The LCRB may consider a refund if an application was submitted by mistake or if there are exceptional circumstances beyond the applicant’s control. However, if the applicant’s security screening process has already started, an application fee cannot be refunded. 

To apply for a license, you must do the following:

  • Check Indigenous Nation or your local government’s requirements for the application and fees (development permit, business licensing, and zoning)
  • Review the location requirements (PID, full street address, and property ownership or lease). Note that the store must be a self-contained business. In case your store is located in a shopping mall or has a shared vestibule, there are some additional requirements
  • Complete the Business Financial Integrity form. To do this, you will need names of shares and shareholders, financial information, tax information, and funding and debt information
  • Gather physical store details (floor plan, site plan, photos of store exterior, proposed store name, proposed signage, and storage). These plans must be legible and clear. They must be in PDF format that is still readable when zoomed in. The site plan, floor plan, and photos of the store’s exterior must demonstrate that it meets the requirement for a store in a shopping mall, a self-contained cannabis store, or a store that shares a vestibule with another business. Note that you are responsible for all matters related to the suitability of your store’s name and branding. The LCRB doesn’t consider or grant any intellectual property rights for the store name, branding, and signage
  • Gather required documents and business information. The business documentation you need to submit depends on the type of your business (private corporation, public corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, society/non-profit corporation, or Indigenous Nation)
  • Review and prepare required documents for associates. Both you and your associates must complete a Consent for Cannabis Security Screening Form, which requires personal information, the application or “job” number from the LCRB, address of the proposed store, current mailing address, and the city, province/state, country, and year for each place you resided outside of British Columbia at any point in the last five years. Your associates must submit documentation for security screenings and/or financial integrity checks
  • Upload documents online and pay fees. 

Approval in principle can be granted if:

  • You meet all the requirements
  • Your application is supported by Indigenous Nation or your local government
  • You paid the license fee

Approval in principle means that you are eligible to receive a license if you pass a final inspection. 

Remember that before you open your dispensary to the public, the LCRB must inspect it. When you feel you are ready, contact the LCRB and schedule an inspection. Make sure there are no cannabis products in the store during it. Only then can you get a license.

The inspector will:

  • Ensure that licensed area and floor plan align with your application
  • Confirm the store’s address
  • Make sure signage meets requirements 
  • Take pictures of the store
  • Review terms and conditions with you
  • Give an overview of the inspection and compliance process

Note that:

  • As a licensee, you must have Selling It Right certification
  • Any workers who supervise the sale of non-medical cannabis or sell it must complete the training course of Selling It Right 
  • Some local governments may have additional requirements
  • All the cannabis you sell in your store must be purchased from the Liquor Distribution Branch
  • To order cannabis, you must get a license
  • Licensees and their employees are not allowed to arrange to sell cannabis from one federally licensed producer to the exclusion of another
  • Licensees and their employees must not request or accept money, gifts, reward or remuneration for the promotion, inducement, or further sale of a particular brand of cannabis, such as preferential shelf space
  • All cannabis retail stores must submit monthly reports to the LCRB 

Dispensary design requirements

A licensed dispensary must be located in a permanent building or structure. Drive-throughs are not allowed. Make sure that you have:

  • Lockable retail product display cases
  • Lockable cannabis storage room or cabinet also separate from the retail sales area 
  • An audible intruder alarm system that is monitored by a third-party
  • An audible fire alarm system that is monitored by a third-party
  • Secure perimeter door locks
  • Security cameras that have a full unobstructed view of the retail sales area, any product storage area, and both the exterior and interior of all store entrances and exits

There must be a written notice in the retail sales area saying that video surveillance is being used on the premises. And the video surveillance cameras must be active and recording at all times, even when your store is closed. You must keep security camera footage for at least 30 days after recording. If needed, you must be able to provide a copy of this footage to the LCRB.

Note that you must meet any security requirements imposed by the local government and/or Indigenous Nation for the area where your store is located. The general manager can impose further security requirements.

Requirements for displaying cannabis and cannabis accessories:

  • Non-medical cannabis displayed in the retail sales area must be in a lockable retail product case
  • If this case is unattended by an employee, it must be locked
  • Non-medical cannabis that is not displayed or stored in the retail sales area must be kept in a locked storage room or cabinet
  • Displays of all products (cannabis, cannabis accessories, and objects designed to look like cannabis or cannabis accessories) must not permit self-service by patrons
  • All products must not be accessible to patrons
  • All patrons must be assisted by an employee
  • Products and packaging and labeling of products must not be visible from a shared common area if there is one
  • You are not allowed to advertise or erect displays within a shared common area
  • If the general manager has approved a shared common area, you must notify the Branch if the adjoining business changes during the term of their license
  • Patrons are allowed to touch the types of dried cannabis product they have available through the use of a jar
  • Such jars must be kept behind the counter 
  • Such jars must not be accessible to patrons without employee assistance 
  • Patrons must be assisted by an employee at all times when touching cannabis
  • Patrons are allowed to view and/or smell the types of cannabis product they have available through the use of a smell jar
  • Cannabis in these jars cannot be accessible for patrons to touch
  • Such jars must be physically attached to a display case or counter
  • Such jars may remain on a display case or counter after hours
  • Any cannabis that remains in an open package for future jar replenishment must be kept in the cabinet separate from the retail sales area or locked storage room 
  • The cannabis used for touch and smell jars cannot be sold and must be recorded in the cannabis register 
  • The original opened package of cannabis used for jars must be lept for inspection purposes until the cannabis used for touch and smell jars is destroyed
  • The cannabis in jars and any excess product left in the original package must be disposed of according to a licensee’s disposal plan 

Gift cards and shopping bags requirements:

  • You can sell gift cards that can be used at a licensed non-medical cannabis retail store or your online system
  • You can sell gift cards from a non-medical cannabis retail store location, online, or by telephone
  • Gifts cards can be used to purchase non-medical cannabis, cannabis accessories, shopping bags, or delivery services
  • You must not sell gift cards that can be used at a non-cannabis business
  • You must not sell gift cards to minors
  • You must not sell gift cards with a denomination exceeding $300
  • You must not sell more than $300 in gift cards to an individual on a single day
  • You are permitted to provide or sell shopping bags to their patrons
  • You must ensure that the bags comply with advertising and promotional requirements
  • You can sell shopping bags containing cannabis and cannabis accessories that have been assembled into a gift package (including any incidental decorative packing such as cellophane, bows, and ribbons) provided that the gift packages comply with federal, local government, and/or Indigenous Nation laws, bylaws, and requirements 

Requirements for storing cannabis:

  • Non-medical cannabis stock must be stored at the retail store
  • Off-site storage is not permitted

Note that the local government and/or Indigenous Nation for the area where your store is located can ask you to take specific security measures to protect on the floor inventory and stored inventory.

Operational requirements

You are allowed to sell non-medical cannabis by telephone or at your store between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The general manager can further restrict your working hours. The local government and/or Indigenous Nation for the area where your store is located may also further limit your operating hours. 

Note that:

  • Patrons cannot enter your store outside of the operating hours
  • If there are patrons in the store when the store is required to close who have not yet made their purchase, you or your staff must encourage them to make their purchases as soon as possible
  • Hours of sale do not apply to sales made through your online system
  • Online purchases that are required to be picked up at the establishment must be picked up only during the retail store’s hours of sale

Transaction requirements

Customers must be 19 years old or older to purchase non-medical cannabis, cannabis accessories, gift cards, and shopping bags. Minors are not permitted to enter a retail store and are not permitted to order non-medical cannabis or cannabis accessories. 

To verify that a customer is 19 years of age or older, you or your staff must request two pieces of ID, carefully examine both pieces, and act on the authenticity of the identification. You can accept foreign or expired ID if it is readable and the customer can be recognized from the picture and meet the requirements for primary and secondary identification as established in the Cannabis Licensing Regulation. You or your staff must cooperate with an inspector or peace officer if asked to determine whether an individual is a minor. If a customer cannot show two pieces of acceptable identification, any service must be refused. 

Primary ID must:

  • Be issued by a government agency
  • Have the holder’s name, date of birth, and picture

Examples of primary ID include:

  • Province or State driver’s license
  • Passport
  • Photo BC Services Card
  • Citizenship card
  • Certificate of Indian Status
  • Federal Firearms Possession and Acquisition license

Keep in mind that the B.C. Driver’s Licence and Services Card, which combines the B.C. Driver’s Licence and Services Card, counts as only one piece of ID.

Secondary ID is used to verify the authenticity of the first piece and must:

  • Include the holder’s name
  • Include either the holder’s signature or picture

Note that any acceptable piece of primary ID can be used as a secondary ID. Examples of secondary ID include:

  • BC CareCard/BC Services Card (separate to a BC Driver’s license)
  • Interim driver’s license (issued by ICBC)
  • BC Transit ProPASS
  • University or college student card
  • Credit card
  • Canadian Blood Services donor card
  • Transport Canada’s Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card
  • Many bank cards and rewards cards
  • National Defence ID

Purchase limits

You can sell in your licensed retail store, through an online system, or by telephone the following:

  • Non-medical cannabis purchased from the Liquor Distribution Branch and in its original unopened package
  • Cannabis accessories used in direct and indirect consumption of cannabis, such as rolling papers, lighters, and gummy-making kits (not including cannabis-related items not related to consumption)
  • Gift cards
  • Shopping bags 
  • Delivery services

You are not allowed to sell any other items that are not on the list, for instance, snacks or tobacco, as well as services. You must not give samples of cannabis to anyone and sell, in one transaction, more than 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent to one customer.

The quantity that is equivalent to 1 g of dried cannabis:

  • Dried cannabis – 1 g
  • Fresh cannabis – 5 g
  • Solids containing cannabis – 15 g
  • Non-solids containing cannabis – 70 g
  • Cannabis solid concentrates – 0.25 g
  • Cannabis non-solid concentrates – 0.25 g
  • Cannabis plant seeds – 1 seed

Delivery

CRS licensees and their employees can deliver non-medical cannabis, cannabis accessories, shopping bags and gift cards or provide pick-up at a location immediately outside the retail store. Delivery services operated by third parties are not authorized.

Delivery requirements:

  • A licensee may deliver non-medical cannabis or provide curbside pick-up of non-medical cannabis in a location immediately outside the retail store between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. (unless the general manager further restricts them). The local government and/or Indigenous Nation for the area in which the store is located may also further restrict operating hours
  • A licensee or their employees are allowed to deliver non-medical cannabis, cannabis accessories, gift cards, and shopping bags
  • Licensees are also allowed to offer curbside pick-up only in a location that is immediately outside the retail store
  • A licensee cannot enable a third party delivery service to operate in association with their store
  • A licensee must not sell cannabis to someone who intends to deliver cannabis to another person for compensation
  • A licensee may only deliver non-medical cannabis from the establishment from which it was purchased 
  • Licensees and their employees must carry a copy of the retail store license as identification while providing delivery services
  • Delivery of non-medical cannabis can only be to the address provided by the patron at the point of sale, addresses in B.C., and individuals 19 years of age and older 
  • Curbside pick-up of non-medical cannabis outside the retail store can only be to a location immediately outside of the retail store selected by the customer at the point of sale and individuals 19 years of age and older
  • All orders of cannabis for delivery or curbside pick-up (in a location directly outside the retail store) must be processed and prepared in the retail store 
  • Only licensees or their staff can process and prepare orders
  • Orders must be prepared in a way that prevents the contents from being visible without opening the prepared order
  • Orders must be prepared in a way that prevents the prepared order from opening during transport or products being removed before delivery
  • Orders prepared for delivery or curbside pick-up may not exceed 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent 
  • Personal possession limits do not apply to the cannabis products that the licensee or employees are delivering 
  • Personal possession limits apply for any personal cannabis that licensees or their employees may have with them
  • Licensees must ensure that payment for a delivery order or an order for pick up in a location immediately outside of the retail store is processed before the licensee or employee removes the non-medical cannabis from the retail store for delivery or curbside pick-up
  • Cannabis products which haven’t been paid for cannot be removed from the retail store for delivery or curbside pick-up
  • Licensees and employees must collect the name and signature of the individual who receives the delivery of cannabis at the address specified by the patron or during curbside pick-up
  • Licensees and employees must not deliver cannabis to an individual who refuses to provide their name and signature
  • Any non-medical cannabis that cannot be delivered for any reason must be brought back to the retail cannabis store
  • Non-medical cannabis must not be delivered to or picked up curbside by individuals who are intoxicated 
  • The charge for non-medical cannabis must be the regular retail price plus a separate delivery fee if any
  • Licensees must inform patrons of both charges when they place an order
  • Licensees may determine the appropriate mode of transportation for the delivery of non-medical cannabis products to customers
  • The mode of transport must be owned or leased by the licensee
  • Licensees must ensure that products are transported securely

If you want to read additional delivery requirements, please review the Cannabis Licensing Regulation (CLR) and CRS Terms and Conditions Handbook.

Reporting Requirements

All non-medical cannabis retailers must submit monthly reports to the LCRB. It is done through a web-based cannabis licensing portal. 

Licensees are required to send them before the 10th of each month. These reports must include data on inventory, sales, and the number of employees. After that, they are sent by the province to Health Canada to be later updated in the federal Cannabis Tracking System. 

Some records must be tracked and kept for six years as long as the license is valid and for six months after it is canceled or expires. These records include:

  • Cannabis wholesale purchases
  • Cannabis retail sales (with quantity sold and price charged)
  • When cannabis is disposed of (date, location, method of disposal, type, and amount of cannabis)
  • Accessory and gift card sales
  • Employee sales (all employees must be registered with the Province)

Note that the records are not limited to these requirements only.