Here at Diplomat, we are exhilarated by the AGLC’s decision today to change Section 3.2.6 of the Retail Cannabis Store Handbook, effective immediately. The policy line that “prohibits cannabis products, accessories or any other cannabis-related item or material from being visible from the exterior of the premises” had inadvertent results of reducing the safety of employees and shoppers inside retail stores – as they were at heightened risk of violent crime. The resulting removal of window coverings is the first of hopefully many more steps for cannabis retail to be treated like all other retail in Alberta. The removal of stereotypes and stigma against the cannabis industry has long been called for by industry advocates, and Diplomat stands firm in that regard.
As reported by CBC, 29 retail stores were robbed in 2021, with 10 robberies in the first three months of 2022 alone. The violence associated with these attacks have even garnered police to suggest for retail stores to remove their window coverings, in violation of Section 3.2.6. With the rise in retail cannabis store commercial robberies, this decision is a welcome sigh of relief for the industry as a whole, and for the safety of those who participate in it.
Alongside retail store owners, industry advocates, corporations, and government, Diplomat has long been supporting efforts to repeal this legislation for the safety and de-stigmatization of cannabis retail stores. Our thanks go out to this non-exhaustive list of individuals who have put in time and effort toward this change: Len Rhodes, Kandice Machado, Dave Berry, Robert Pape, Catherine Scully, Travis Toews, Jason Nixon, Mitchel Gray, Marcie Kiziak, Anne Forkutza, Trevor Fencott, Raj Grover, Omar Khan, Cecil Horowitz, Amber Craig, Shahbaaz Kara-Virani, John Carle, Stephanie Bach, Chris Felgate, Alena Jenkins, Jesse Beaudry, Ashley Newman, Gerald Proctor, the Alberta Cannabis Council, Nathan Mison, Ivan Ross Vrána, Lisa Holmes, and more.
Note: the original text of this article indicated that the AGLC made a repeal to their legislation, but in fact it was a policy change. The first paragraph has been edited to reflect this.
