Rule Change Allows Cannabis Packaging To Be Recycled At B.C. Stores
The emerging legal cannabis industry is facing a huge sustainability dilemma involving cannabis packaging. Packaging requirements in legal cannabis markets such as Canada are significant, and according to many sustainability advocates, the requirements are too extreme.
Anyone who has purchased legal cannabis knows that the amount of packaging required adds up very quickly. Plastic bags, plastic containers, and other packaging are piling up across Canada.
As more people start making their purchases from the regulated industry instead of unregulated sources the cannabis packaging issue is going to continue to increase alongside the increase in demand.
In an attempt to help mitigate the issue, licensed producer Canopy Growth Corp.’s Tweed brand partnered with TerraCycle (a waste management company) to create and implement a nation-wide cannabis packaging recycling program. Unfortunately, the program ran into a roadblock in British Columbia. Per Prince George Matters:
Federal law says all cannabis products must be sealed, put in childproof containers and have an excise stamp placed on them by licensed producers before they are sold.
The B.C. government then made it illegal for retailers to have any cannabis products in their stores if excise-stamp seals were broken or if the packages were opened.
The intent was to keep illicit cannabis from being sold at the stores.
One B.C. store was specifically told that they couldn’t have a recycling bin inside of their store because inspectors considered any recycled containers to be open-containers and therefore not allowed inside the dispensary, even as part of a recycling program.
Fortunately, after the store owner complained to the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch regulators sent a communication to the owner saying that the decision had been made to allow bins for recycling purposes.
It can be tough to navigate all of the evolving federal rules and regulations in Canada’s legal cannabis industry. Local rules and regulations make it even more difficult. Our upcoming event in Vancouver B.C. September 15-16 will unpack it all.
If you want to learn about the most recent and useful information regarding Vancouver’s and British Columbia’s cannabis rules and regulations you will definitely want to check out our panel dedicated to the topic.
Panelists will include John Conroy (Conroy & Company), Andrew Gordon (Strategic Partnerships and Community), Dori Dempster (The Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary), and Jamie Shaw (Pasha Brands). You can find out more at https://internationalcbc.com/vancouver-schedule-2019/.
About the International Cannabis Business Conference
International Cannabis Business Conference events are the premier cannabis events for entrepreneurs across the globe. With events in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, and Germany the International Cannabis Business Conference is where the world meets cannabis. Find out more at InternationalCBC.com and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.