THE DOUBLE STANDARD WITH BOOZE

David Brown, a founder of Lift who now runs the industry bible StratCann, says the legal cannabis market needs the kind of boost that things like Farmgate—in which licensed producers sell their weed directly from their grows—and cannabis tourism could provide.

“I think those growers taking on farmgate definitely see a long-term goal of a kind of winery tour model,” he said, and pointed to an industry-wide trend: licensed producers in provinces like Ontario and New Brunswick where small farms are leaning into cannabis farmgate. (BC just opened their program too, but only two have applied so far.)

“Farmgate definitely offers opportunities for cannabis growers to create a unique, on-site experience combined with product sales,” Brown continued. “When consumers can not only visit the farm or facility where the cannabis is grown, but then purchase products from that location and then also have a chance to enjoy them on site, it then begins to mimic the winery tours different parts of Ontario are known for.”

This is something most everyone in legal weed is eager to see. “I’m a licensed tour bus driver with the Ministry of Transport, I don’t sell or supply cannabis, yet I’m identified as a cannabis service and deeply limited in the ways I can advertise,” says Anne Marie Locas of Okanagan Cannabis Tours. “All I want is for the laws to allow me to operate the same way I would operate a wine tour, with the same advertising, and to provide customers with ways to enjoy their cannabis.”

It’s clear that everyone in the industry is feeling the pressure from a government which has created its legalisation in the shadow of reefer madness mentality. Granted, cannabis legalization is still new; still, cannabis tourism seems like the obvious next step for weed.

“The food scene in Prince Edward County is extremely vibrant, and it was a natural progression for my business to cater to the tourists who are looking to enjoy a relaxing weekend,” says Ian McClatchey of CHC, the cannabis event company. “We are getting a lot of feedback from customers who say that they enjoy the wine country setting, but don’t want to deal with the fallouts associated with drinking. A lot of people seem to be reducing their alcohol consumption, and it feels like a natural progression toward cannabis. People want to relax, unwind and enjoy.”

Like Superette doing delivery to the Ace Hotel in Toronto, Friday’s Cannabis is aiming to expand its presence in the tourism market by providing direct delivery services to the nearby boutique hotels. “We have partnerships with Wander, The Royal and Jackson Falls in the County so if previously you would pre-order a bottle of wine to your room for a getaway experience, we can now curate cannabis packages. That’s something we are working with the hotels to provide— to create that experience with them for their patrons and elevate their stay.”

“I think there are a lot of opportunities for cannabis tourism in Canada and cannabis farm and facility visits show some potential, similar to how we have seen winery tours evolve over time,” says Brown. “I’m also starting to see more events in Canada, be they concerts, festivals or conferences, that are finding ways to allow onsite cannabis sales and, sometimes, consumption. As this evolves, we will see tourism models evolve that cater to this demand and take advantage of those opportunities.”