Vancouverites looking for legal cannabis in the post Oct. 17 world have two options.

Get clicking or get to Kamloops.

article continues below

Online sales will be the only avenue for legal pot purchases in the city outside of making the four-plus hour trek to the province’s lone retail outlet in the tournament capital of Canada.

“We do not have a timeline on when the first store will open as it will depend on the applicant completing the process and fulfilling all provincial and municipal requirements,” the city said in a statement to the Courier.

Any business operating in Vancouver must have a municipal development permit, provincial cannabis retail licence and a municipal business licence to comply with the current laws of the land in the city.

None have all of those necessary permits.



Fifty-four dispensaries across town have their municipal development permits. Fifty others are operating without any legal jurisdiction to do so.



The city has received seven applications from the province that are currently under review. Solicitor general Mike Farnworth said Monday that the province has waded through 173 applications across B.C. Of that number, 35 are in cities ready to consider those applications.



The permitting process for Vancouver goes something like this:



The province first forwards provincial license applications to municipalities, which are reviewed by city staff. Only applications with a valid municipal development permit for cannabis retail use will be supported, though a recommendation from the city does not guarantee a provincial licence will be granted.



When the provincial licence is granted, the operator is contacted by the city to apply for a municipal business licence. Applicants must ensure they have valid building and occupancy permits, along with a city inspection of their business before a business licence is issued.



The city will only issue a municipal licence to those operators who have obtained a provincial licence and have a valid municipal development permit for cannabis retail use.



What does that mean in Vancouver?



Any dispensary with a previously issued medical marijuana-related use designation will need to apply for a provincial retail licence and a new retail dealer — cannabis municipal business licence. The same goes for compassion clubs. After Oct. 17, compassion clubs can continue to offer “health-related services” but can’t sell pot.



As for all the other dispensaries operating in a seemingly grey area, Farnworth suggested those shops close down so as to not negatively affect their ongoing licensing process.



The Times Colonist has reported that a number of pot shops in Victoria have done just that. Whether that’s happening in Vancouver wasn’t clear.



“My advice to them is that there are new rules coming in place on Oct. 17 and they should start to abide by those rules,” Farnworth told reporters at the B.C. legislature. “We’ve said that existing dispensaries can apply and they know the process. Many of them are already in the process and a number of them have already shut down. So I think that’s the right thing to do.”



So if you’re not going to Kamloops, go to bccannabisstores.com just to be safe.



— with files from the Times Colonist

@JohnKurucz