Cannabis legalization in Canada has turned the industry upside down, from ma and pa growers to large corporate machines. In the middle of this mayhem, old compassion clubs like the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club have some difficult decisions to make regarding the transition into the infant legal scheme.
To explain how this transformation will likely occur, the VCBC has just made its Strategic Plan 1.0 available to the public.
The VCBC Strategic Plan 1.0 provides a comprehensive summary of the situation the club finds itself in after years of surviving under prohibition. At the core of this story lies the need for patients to have access to edible and topical cannabis products.
Our plan places the needs of patient first. We hope to ensure our members that complying with the law will only improve the quality of the products and services that our club provides. With over 23 years of experience helping patients, the VCBC is determined to make sure they have better access to better products under legalization than what we could do under prohibition.
Key to the switch to the legal system will be the creation of a new processing facility. Currently the club produces many of the edible and topical products available at the store. In order to continue providing these products, the club will need to obtain a processing license to go along with its retail license.
On June 11, 2019, the club will organize the sale of 49% of a new company that will eventually become the legal supplier of edible and topical products to the club and beyond. Details about the sale will be made available closer to the date but shares will be $10 and the society hopes to raise about $1 million to get the new company off the ground.
Several areas of the regulations will need to be changed in order for this transition to occur smoothly. By far the most critical issue to patients will be the strength of the dose of THC allowed, as the current rules only allow for the sale of weak concentrations. Other issues with the laws as they exist include restrictions around safe smoking facilities and the regulations blocking an organization from owning both retail and production licenses.
Relying on the unanimous Supreme Court of Canada decision in the 2015 Smith case, which made cannabis extracts legal for patients, the club hopes the authorities will understand the need for patience as this transition slowly unfolds. The VCBC will remain a patient-only facility until the switch is made to the legal system.
Click here to access The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club Strategic Plan.
