Won't shop at BCCS

By Jamie Miller-Haywood

To date I have not stepped foot inside a BC Cannabis Store, and the likelihood of me ever doing so is grim. I understand there are some good people who work at these shops, but bear with me.

From the beginning, buying weed from a government shop never sat well with me. Yes, I’m beyond grateful that weed is legalized, and industries are SLOWLY cropping, and tax dollars are being collected and re-distributed out into the communities but here’s why I don’t support BC Cannabis Stores.

First, they use millions of taxpayer dollars to open the retail shops. Are they operating at a loss or a gain? (I’ll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don’t count. Any business EVER generally has to pass the 5 year sink or swim test so that means at least 5 years of losses on average until a profit is reached.)

At distribution (which EVERY product must got through to enter the market) they add a 15% mark-up on the cost of the product on arrival from the Licensed Producer plus a $1/unit federal excise fee.

From there the product heads to private retailers or the BC Cannabis Stores where they get another mark-up. If the BCCS adds the standard 30% mark-up we’re now looking at a 45% mark-up pocketed by the BC gov’t before GST/PST is tacked on.

In the time of COVID it is imperative that the gov’t take a step back and let the private businesses have a shot at this thing. I think we’ve learned that public enterprises in BC ain’t all they cracked up to be (hello ICBC).

“The Province of BC is opening over 200 taxpayer-funded Gov’t BC Cannabis Stores in the next couple of years, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

“The Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers (ACCRES) has identified that private enterprise has the capacity to serve the adult public by providing access to regulated cannabis. The expansion of the publicly owned network of cannabis stores is unnecessary and wasteful,” according to ACCRES.

If you think the BC NDP should step back the BCCS and let the private market establish itself; not position itself as the fiercest competitor amongst tax paying small businesses, please head over to this petition and leave your mark.

So with my reasons all laid out, what are your thoughts?

Valens buys LYF

The Valens Company has entered into the edibles segment, acquiring Kelowna-based LYF Food Technologies Inc.

Valens purchased the company for $24.9 million, plus up to $17.5 million if certain milestones are achieved.

“LYF stood out for its product innovation and marketing teams, as well as its broad range of edible products which will introduce new formats to Canadian consumers that are typically only available in more mature markets,” says Valens CEO Tyler Robson.

The deal strengthens Valens’ Cannabis 2.0 production capabilities and unlocks the company’s growth potential.

LYF is capable of white-label manufacturing and infusion technologies, which is similar to Valens. LYF also has experience operating and working with major Canadian grocery chains, health and wellness retailers, and pharmacies.

Between Valens’ access to low-cost cannabis extracts and LYF’s more than 100 recipes, the combination allows for higher-margin, new-to-market edible formats.

Valens has more than 77,000 square feet of licensed manufacturing space, including the addition of LYF’s 10,500-square-foot nearby production facility.

It’s capable of producing various new product formats, including real fruit gummies, caramel filled bars, peanut butter cups, hard candies, granola products, and customized baked goods.

Episode 4 of By The Ounce

There are all kind of ridiculous assertions coming out of Vernon about cannabis stores.

Two more cannabis stores applied to open in the North Okanagan city, and that has brought the misinformation out of the woodwork.

Critics are flinging their favourite types of ammo — fear and stigma.

One of the most baseless assertions came from a city councillor.

Dean Millard and David Wylie also talked about it on The Cannabis 101 Podcast. He did not mince words.

Apple Toffee by Simply Bare

We treated ourselves and picked up Apple Toffee by Bare Organics.

Simply Bare is on the pricey side, but we decided to treat ourselves to see if it’s as good as people say it is.

The video is two and a half minutes.

It’s worth a look, but we’re biased.

19+ so you’ve gotta log in…

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