BCGEU strike a boon for illegal weed dealers: Okanagan Cannabis Collective
Vernon cannabis store owner Sarah Ballantyne says the shelves of her store are almost empty.
"I'm out of vape, edibles and CBD oil," Ballantyne said.
Ballantyne owns Spiritleaf Vernon and is now in her second week without a delivery.
The small business owner is one of many caught up in a dispute between the B.C. General Employees' Union and the province.
On Aug. 15, the union began targeted job action at B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch distribution centres. The accumulative effect is that cannabis stores across the province aren't receiving shipments which is leaving shelves bare.
The lack of legal deliveries of cannabis will also play into the hands of the illegal unlicensed market.
READ MORE: B.C. cannabis stores grapple with delivery stoppage as BCLDB workers go on strike
"The illicit industry will have a chance to resurface in full force," Okanagan Cannabis Collective spokesperson Mariana Wolff told iNFOnews.ca. "People won't stop consuming cannabis, they just turn to a different source."
Wolff said she's seen some panic buying in her Penticton store, Cannabis Cottage, and stores have started to close.
She said Lake Country Cannabis closed and Green Gaia in Penticton has also shut its doors.
All this will be a huge boon for the illicit cannabis market, she said.
"All the hard-earned effort that all of the legal players have put into this new industry to make it so it contributes to our economy is going to pretty much go by the wayside... it can easily be destroyed within the next month here," Wolff said.
READ MORE: BC Liquor Stores start rationing alcohol sales due to BCGEU strike
Since marijuana was legalized in the fall of 2018, cannabis store owners have argued they should be allowed to buy direct from licenced cannabis growers. Somewhat ironically the province did change the law bringing the new regulation in on Aug. 15, the same day the strike action started.
Wolff said cannabis stores still need to register through the provincial government to be able to buy directly from third-party cannabis growers. Unsurprisingly, the strike has meant those applications don't appear to be being dealt with.
Ballantyne at Spiritleaf has managed to secure some deliveries from licenced producers but it won't be enough to fill the gap in her inventory.
"Unfortunately because the government wants to have this monopoly over us we're back at zero, everyone will have to start over, every store will have to start their inventory from zero," Ballantyne said.
The situation will "absolutely" be a boon to the illegal cannabis market, she added.
A kilometre south of Ballantyne's store, Eastside Liquor Company manager James Reichelt says he's getting low on cider and coolers.
Reichelt said his shelves of beer and wine are well stocked as those products come from Brewers' Distributor Ltd.
However, hard liquor, coolers and cider come from the Liquor Distribution Branch and its workers are currently on strike.
He's seen a little bit of panic buying but not much, and his store isn't imposing limits on sales.
READ MORE: B.C. public-sector union says negotiations with government are back on
The government-run B.C. Liquor Stores have introduced limits on all products, except beer.
Reichelt said at the moment things are OK, but if it carries on too long it will start hurting many small businesses like his.
However, the situation is changing and according to the BCGEU, it accepted a government offer to return to the bargaining table late Aug. 23.
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