Alberta cannabis retailers ready to roll with online sales
Online cannabis sales in Alberta are set to change next month with the only current legal seller closing down.
Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) operates the sole legal online retailer in the province -- AlbertaCannabis.org -- but the site is closing shop on March 8.
"Licensed cannabis retailers in Alberta will be able to offer online sales of cannabis products. Licensed cannabis retailers will continue to offer choices in legal, high-quality products for consumers," reads the AGLC website.
Alberta currently has 748 licensed cannabis retailers, 194 of which are in Calgary.
The government website only brought in about $200,000 in cannabis sales annually, but there's a sizeable black market of unlicensed online sellers. Retailers hope the move to privatize online sales will help weed out bad actors.
"We have seen the illicit market's total share of cannabis sales in Canada go down from about 87 per cent three years ago to just under 50 per cent today," said Omar Khan with High Tide Inc.
The company operates more than 50 Canna Cabana stores in the province and plan to have the online market up and running in Calgary and Edmonton right away.
"Fifty per cent is still representative of a resilient illicit market," he said.
Licensed Alberta retailers will have to apply to AGLC for approval to sell online and will need to meet delivery and age verification regulations from the province.
"In Alberta, in advance of being able to access the website, the consumer will have to verify their age. Not just through self attestation but through something stronger than that," Khan said.
The shut down of the government cannabis selling site comes after legislation was passed in November to allow private retailers into the online market. At the time, Finance Minister Travis Toews said the change "would have the real potential to displace some of the illicit trade that takes place now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It looks quite real': Two Ontarians lose money to fake phone scam
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
Preparation for next U.S. president started months ago, Trudeau's cabinet says
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says the Trudeau government is in a better position to manage trade negotiations with the next American president than it was the last time it signed a deal with the U.S. and Mexico.
New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
Homeowners in France have discovered a skeleton in the attic of an outbuilding while undertaking renovation work.
5 things to watch for as Americans head to the polls on election day
Americans are facing a decision about the future of their country and no matter which president they choose, Canada cannot escape the pull of political polarization from its closest neighbour.
No jail time for man who drove truck through residential school march in B.C.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
North Korean troops in Russia are shelled by Ukrainian forces, an official says
North Korean troops recently deployed to help Russia in its war with Ukraine have come under Ukrainian fire, a Kyiv official said Tuesday.
Tim Hortons parent Restaurant Brands misses sales estimates on muted demand
Restaurant Brands missed estimates for quarterly revenue on Tuesday due to weak demand across key businesses such as Tim Hortons, Burger King and international markets including China and the Middle East.
Canada Post, union, still disagree over weekend delivery following weekend talks
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.