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By David Wylie
An Okanagan cannabis retailer says unlicensed products bearing what look like Health Canada labels are blurring the lines for consumers.
Ryan Graham, who owns Bluewater Cannabis, voiced his concerns about the labels during an event hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to get feedback before an upcoming review of The Cannabis Act.
“I’m no law professor but that’s the true definition of fraudulent, and I would like to see our government step in and deal with that because it puts us in a position where customers are coming in and saying, ‘oh, no, it’s Health Canada approved,’” he said.
Graham was referring to products sold at unlicensed stores, including Indigenous Bloom, which are prevalent throughout parts of BC. The stores are located on First Nations land, including Okanagan Indian Band territory.
• RELATED: BC sticks its head in the sand when it comes to Indigenous pot
Indigenous Bloom’s website and social media advertises numerous types of unlicensed cannabis products packaged with the recognizable THC logo and yellow warnings found on federally licensed products. They include oils, vapes, and flower.
“Here in the Okanagan the black market—legacy, whatever you want to call it, is thriving,” said Graham.
“Now we’re paying an exorbitant amount for cannabis inspectors, for cannabis safety units—and the mandate and what’s being done, it’s two different universes.”
Graham said he and his staff are trying to educate people about legal product, but “that’s not our job. Our job is to provide a service here in the legal retail market.”
He said retailers were told there was going to be a significant education campaign, which has not come to fruition.
This is a selection of unlicensed products being sold by Indigenous Bloom that bear an uncanny resemblance to licensed products:
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