Province aims to boost number of cannabis dispensaries
The Manitoba government has opened up another round for potential bidders as it looks to expand the number of cannabis dispensaries slated to open in the province.
On Monday, Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Blaine Pedersen announced that the government had issued a request for pre-qualifications to bring stores into underserviced communities.
In a news release, the minister reiterated the government’s goal to eliminate the black market by providing 90 per cent of Manitobans with access to legal cannabis, within a 30-minute drive or less, within two years of this year’s legalization. Continue Reading...
Stickers part of push to allow Manitobans to grow cannabis plants
Manitoba's provincial government’s declaration that citizens would not be allowed to grow cannabis plants for recreational use is not a decision advocate Neil Longbottom is letting go without a fight.
The cannabis enthusiast’s first round of stickers, featuring a cannabis leaf and a message "#LETUSGROW" and #"NOTACRIMINAL," have arrived in the mail and will begin showing up throughout Brandon in the coming days.
This first bunch of stickers are being distributed by Growers n’ Smokers owner Rick Macl. The second round of a few hundred stickers will arrive within a few days and be distributed through not only Macl, but also others who support the cause.
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On the outside, still wanting in
When the smoke cleared earlier this month, just four of more than 100 proposals to sell legal cannabis in Manitoba were left standing; some of the others hope to get another chance.
Bill Gade had a plan to defeat the black-market cannabis trade in rural Manitoba.
Gade, who lives outside the rural community of Benito, two kilometres from the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, works as a general manager at 83 North, a diversified company in the nearby town of Swan River.
The way he sees it, cities such as Winnipeg and Brandon will be saturated with cannabis stores after legalization.
"And I don't think that anyone will ever propose that you could put a full-service cannabis store in Benito," Gade says. "But yet, as we speak today, there's four guys in Benito that sell cannabis all day long."
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City preparing for cannabis legalization
The tracks for this summer’s expected legalization of marijuana continue to be laid in Manitoba, but details of how it will be sold and distributed within Brandon are still unclear.
In December, the city was one of eight major urban centers to say it would allow the retail sale of pot in a survey conducted by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. These towns and cities also include Winnipeg, Dauphin, Minnedosa, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Swan River and Thompson. Continue Reading...
Province rejects Macl group bid to open cannabis dispensaries
After receiving his rejection letters from the provincial government, Growers ’n Smokers owner Rick Macl said he had his best night’s sleep in a while.
These letters, sent to business partners of his, noted that their joint applications to open up to a dozen cannabis dispensaries in Manitoba had been rejected, which Macl said might just be a blessing in disguise.
While selling cannabis is something he had been working toward for the past year, Macl said the more he thought about it, the more he has come to appreciate what he already has. Continue Reading...
Legality of CBD oil products being sold in Brandon unclear
The question of whether CBD oil products being sold in Brandon are legal has not come with an easy answer.
On Monday, The Brandon Sun received an anonymous tip that a local head shop was selling an allegedly illegal product.
A trip to B.O.B. Headquarters to investigate the accusation that afternoon revealed that the products in question, Miracle Cannabis Oil and CBD Cannabidiol Gummies, were both available out of the back room when requested.
The question of their legal status was much harder to confirm, with legal experts and those charged with enforcing the law offering unclear and conflicting opinions. Continue Reading...
Most Manitobans OK with pot store in their neighbourhood: poll
There is no huffing and puffing of Not In My Backyard - in fact, a majority of Manitobans is mellow about the prospect of a marijuana store opening in their neighbourhood, a new poll has found.
Probe Research surveyed 1,000 Manitobans from Nov. 23 to Dec. 24 and found 58 per cent of people would feel comfortable if a marijuana store opened in their area once the federal government legalizes cannabis next summer.
Rural Manitobans were 51 per cent pro-neighbourhood pot, while, in Winnipeg, 61 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of marijuana shops.
"This is a strong majority of Manitobans who are cool with a pot shop opening in their neighbourhood," said Mary Agnes Welch, a Probe Research associate.
"I think that's a healthy number for a lot of municipalities who are right now trying to decide whether to allow marijuana stores to open." At least 10 of 94 Manitoba municipalities the Free Press spoke to in December won't allow pot sales, including Beausejour, Gimli and Lac du Bonnet. Continue Reading...
Landlords concerned about cannabis rules
The leadership behind Brandon’s largest property rental company is concerned about the impacts this summer’s legalization of recreational cannabis might have on their clients.
Managing 1,250 rental units, Vionell Holdings CEO Jason Roblin said that his concerns boil down to both the presence of smoke and the potential that people would begin growing plants in their units.
"It’s definitely on the radar," he said, adding that cannabis has been a hot topic of conversation in the industry of late.
Professional Property Managers’ Association of Manitoba representative Avrom Charach said that when it comes to rental units, he wants to see the provincial government treat cannabis like it does tobacco. Continue Reading...
Brandon-based entepreneurs looking to operate pot shops eager to educate the public
At least two Brandon-based entrepreneurs are among the more than 100 who submitted proposals to the provincial government to distribute and sell cannabis by next summer. These two include the ownership of Brandon-based B.O.B. Headquarters and Growers n’ Smokers. Both aligned themselves with partners to tackle the request for proposal process. It was quite the undertaking, B.O.B. Headquarters co-owner Robert Ritchot said, adding that their final document ended up filling out approximately 300 pages and costing those behind these pages many hours of sleep over the past several weeks. Continue Reading...
Growers n' Smokers Preferred Customer Sign up!
Vision Improved quality of life for Medical Marijuana patients by ensuring they have access to healthcare providers, education and resources. Mission Statement Growers N’ Smokers is dedicated to the well being of patients who are prescribed Medical Marijuana.
Our establishment is focused on client care; offering a welcoming environment where they will feel comfortable to discuss their ailments and prescriptions openly. Our clients will have access to resources required for them to effectively consume their medication. Education and materials will be available to aid in growing and consuming their prescription in all forms: edibles, oils, tinctures and inhalation. We are committed to assisting our clients in discovering which therapeutic route will be the most successful for them and their lifestyle. Continue Reading...
Brandon civil servants urge city to greenlight sale of weed
The Wheat City seems poised to be associated with grass, too.
Brandon city staff released a memo Thursday urging councillors to approve the retail sale of pot from one store in the municipality, about 200 kilometres west of Winnipeg, on Monday at the next council meeting.
"While the federal legalization of cannabis itself may be controversial to many Brandon residents, declining to participate with the province will leave the City of Brandon completely out of the legislative process and Brandon will be left subject to the black market unregulated product and online sales only," Heather Ewasiuk, a clerk with the city, writes in the memo.
The Manitoba government recently unveiled its plan to roll out a "hybrid" public-private retail pot model when the federal government is expected to legalize cannabis July 1, 2018. Continue Reading...
Local Shop Advocating Medical Marijuana
'They're favouring the larger companies.'
A Brandon smoke shop owner says the province is creating a big-business monopoly for retail marijuana shops. Rick Macl sells equipment and paraphernalia for those who smoke medicinal marijuana, but says after reading the province's plan, he doesn't stand a chance of opening a pot shop. Continue Reading...
Brandon businesses pan proposed pot restrictions in Manitoba
Growing cannabis plants at home for recreational use is a no-go in Manitoba, and the legal age for its purchase has been set at 19, according to the Safe and Responsible Retailing of Cannabis Act. Provincial Justice Minister Heather Stefanson presented the legislation on Tuesday, and during a press conference in Winnipeg described these restrictions as a means of keeping cannabis out of the hands of children. Although cannabis has been determined to negatively impact the growth of brain cells in those who consume it up to the age of 25, Stefanson defended the government’s decision to set the age of purchase at 19 as being a "balanced approach," in that restricting it to 25-plus would have only spurred the elicit market to fill the gap. Continue Reading...
POT PLANS SHOULD BENEFIT MORE THAN A CHOSEN FEW
Information on how marijuana retailing will work in Manitoba has been billowing in since the announcement that pot sales will be a “hybrid privatization” with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries distributing to private retailers. On Nov. 7, ChrisD.ca published “Manitoba hands off sale of legal marijuana to budding retailers,” which would have been a great headline, except that pot sellers won’t be budding retailers, but rather those already in full bloom. The province made its Request for Proposals (RFP) available to aspiring dealers of legal pot on Nov. 7. The RFP states the province is only interested in doing business with up to four retailers. “Manitoba intends to select up to four proposals, and intends to enter into at least one retailer agreement for each of the four proposals it selects,” the RFP reads. Owner of Growers and Smokers in Brandon, Rick Macl told the CBC he thinks “the hybrid privatization is more like a hybrid monopolization.” Continue Reading...
B.O.B. Headquarters wants into the cannabis retail industry
Another local applicant hopes to enter the retail cannabis industry, with Brandon-based B.O.B. Headquarters joining Tokyo Smoke and 4Front Advisors in partnering to apply for a licence. Prior to Friday’s joint announcement via press release, the only other local applicant The Brandon Sun has been made aware of has been Growers n Smokers owner Rick Macl. B.O.B. Headquarters was co-founded by Robert Ritchot and Kimberly Thomas-Ritchot. Continue Reading...
Marijuana in workplace focus of chamber panel
Those in the business community who are bracing for next summer’s legalization of recreational cannabis are already dealing with it, whether they recognize it or not. Medical cannabis is already legal, and while human rights legislation requires employers to accommodate those with prescriptions, pending “undue hardship,” there’s no such provision for recreational cannabis. When it comes to dealing with medical cannabis, “don’t panic,” local lawyer David Swayze of Meighen Haddad LLP said, adding, “we’re already doing it. We’re doing it with other medications, so medical marijuana doesn’t raise any concerns from me in that respect. Swayze joined Elite Safety Services co-owner Marc Watt in speaking at a Brandon Chamber of Commerce breakfast event at Clarion Hotel & Suites on Tuesday, covering the topic “Marijuana in the Workplace.” Continue Reading...
'My heart sunk': Pot plans push out small business, owner says
When Rick Macl learned the province was taking a hybrid approach to recreational marijuana sales he said he was excited. He opened up Growers and Smokers in Brandon in March, investing more than $200,000 into the business and even renting the storefront beside in hopes for a future dispensary. Once the request for proposal was available, Macl's future began to go up in smoke. "After Brian Pallister was speaking I was pretty excited about it, but once I got hold of the RFP my heart sunk," he said. Private stores will sell pot in Manitoba while province will control distribution Winkler mayor fuming as pot plans land on municipalities' plates On Tuesday, Manitoba unveiled its plan to sell pot once cannabis becomes legal next July. The Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. will secure the supply of marijuana and track it in Manitoba, but private retail stores will be in charge of selling it. Continue Reading...
Provincial move raises cannabis concerns
Ever since opening Growers N’ Smokers, Rick Macl has been patiently waiting for the government to knock on his door. He was pleasantly surprised that the Manitoba government has expressed interest in determining possible participants in the new cannabis industry. The expression of interest came just nine days after Premier Brian Pallister urged other provincial governments to join him in an attempt to push legalization back a full year. Macl said Saskatchewan and Manitoba seem to be the only provinces pushing back against the federal government's proposed legalization date — July 1, 2018. Continue Reading...
Wheat City biz owner touts benefits of pot use
When it comes to the business implications of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to legalize marijuana, Rick Macl plans on getting in on the ground floor. Last weekend found the local cannabis advocate open Brandon’s latest head shop, Growers n’ Smokers, at 223 18th St. North. Where other head shop owners might beat around the bush, Macl isn’t one to bite his tongue when it comes to his business’s true intentions. His shop is about the promotion of cannabis, marijuana, pot or whatever other word one prefers. Understandably averse to the idea of going to prison, Macl’s promotion of cannabis is limited by the confines of the law, which means his shop does not sell any actual cannabis, focusing instead on its related paraphernalia. Continue Reading...
Growers n’ Smokers Brandon MB
For many years Rick Macl had been fighting major back problems, having surgery left him with nothing but more pain and fear that he may end up in a wheelchair sooner rather than later. Rick had searched for a doctor that “knew what he was talking about” unfortunately for him, he didn’t find a doctor that could help any more than they already had. However, living with chronic back pain wasn’t on his agenda, so Rick and his wife Chantelle started doing research on their own and CHRONIC is where they found Rick’s saviour. Continue Reading...
