Cannabis counterculture on the Sunshine Coast may unofficially come to and end in two weeks time, with the announcement that a BC Cannabis store will be opening its doors on 4/20.
“Yes, we intentionally scheduled the opening for April 20, or 4/20, which is widely recognized as a day for celebrating cannabis culture,” BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) corporate communications officer Viviana Zanocco told Coast Reporter in an email.
The opening was initially announced via Twitter on March 30. This will be the first government-run store to open this year and the 26th in the province.
Four full-time staff and eight “auxiliary employees” will operate the 325-sq.-metre (3,498 sq. ft.) store, located at 5500 Sunshine Coast Highway in the Tsain-Ko Village Shopping Centre in Sechelt on shíshálh Nation land.
It’s the first time the BCLDB has worked with an Indigenous nation to approve land use zoning for a store under the nation’s jurisdiction, said Zanocco, adding the stores are designed to be clean, welcoming and professional “while creating a safe and favourable alternative to purchasing cannabis from the illicit market.”
Masks will be mandatory in the store, which will be complying with all public health orders, said Zanocco. A two-ID check will also be in place for people who look under 30 years old.
Currently, there are five licensed non-medical cannabis retail stores on the Sunshine Coast.
