The B.C. Private Liquor Store Association (BCPLSA) and the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU) have partnered to request the government grant them the ability to sell recreational cannabis at their stores.
“The BCGEU and BCPLSA believe this partnership will help enable a safe, responsible and effective system for recreational marijuana in British Columbia,” a release stated. “The partnership envisions enabling British Columbians to buy non-medical marijuana throughout age-controlled liquor stores by Christmas of 2016.”
The release argues that, as they already deal with a controlled substance, liquor stores are best suited to sell cannabis.
“Just as with alcohol, there are legitimate concerns about access to marijuana by youths. Our stores are an over-19, age-controlled environment and our industry has demonstrated the strongest compliance with identification checks,” BCGEU president Stephanie Smith said, in the release.
Smith said the province needed to ensure recreational cannabis is sold in the “most socially responsible way possible.”
“We have an effective warehousing, retail and distribution system in place, there is no need to reinvent the wheel,” Smith said.