Cannabis Tourism in Canada – Cannabis | weed | marijuana

Cannabis tourism in Canada was a missed opportunity. The Cannabis Act was effectively a public health document focused on making the herb unpopular with young people.

Or, as Justin Trudeau once said, his government would not legalize a “boutique market.”

But for Nathan Mison, President of Diplomat Consulting, it makes sense. “We breached three international treaties when we legalized cannabis.” There were concerns about how other countries might react and whether it would affect trade.

It was a “hecularistic attempt” to legalize cannabis. But it’s been half a decade. Additional jurisdictions have legalized or are in the process of legalizing.

“The world has evolved,” says Nathan. “The fear the government once had should no longer be cherished.”

Cannabis Tourism in Canada

Nathan Mison focuses on cannabis tourism in Canada. Interestingly, even within Canada’s public health cannabis law, there is room for tourism.

“The federal government definitely has an important role to play,” says Nathan. “But a lot of these things actually live at the provincial and municipal levels. And that’s why we initially focused on the municipal level. The federal authorities and the provinces have created a way to do this. But if there is no business license and no zoning at the municipal level, these businesses cannot open.”

I asked Nathan if he would like to open a bed and breakfast. Couldn’t I promote a B&B that is cannabis friendly?

“There’s a zoning that allows you to be a B&B that serves alcohol,” says Nathan. “Because that’s in the zoning. It doesn’t say alcohol and cannabis. Technically, once the cannabis is put on the menu, it would make it a non-compliant business under municipal zoning.”

His catering company CBD CBN is affected by these rules.

“We do it out of the office,” he says. “Because now the cannabis is being shared on social networks. The caterer receives no compensation for a cannabis service, which would be a violation of federal law. And the homeowner who provides the cannabis to their guests is subject to federal, provincial, and local regulations. And that’s stupid.”

Nathan asks why can’t we have a green wedding? Infused restaurants? Cannabis-friendly coffee shops? Why can’t we do cannabis tourism in Canada?

“And it’s not just about food and drink,” says Nathan. “Why the hell can’t you have a spa experience? Why can’t you have a massage experience? There’s no goddamn reason for it. It is a legal product.”

Edmonton goes ahead

The only thing stopping cannabis-centric B&Bs, restaurants, caterers, and others is municipal zoning.

In other words, it is your local politicians who are preventing cannabis tourism in Canada.

“Right now,” says Nathan, “the biggest obstacle is zoning.”

So he and others in the city of Edmonton were busy lobbying for zoning changes. “Coincidentally,” he says, these efforts resulted in the city conducting “a major land reclamation for the first time since 1959.”

“We’ve had pretty good success in the city of Edmonton. In June we saw quite a significant step forward as Edmonton became the first municipality to introduce zoning for cannabis use locations. Once you find a city, another city can say, “Hey, we like that, we like that, we’ll do that too.”

“We believe there is a way to achieve this by opening cannabis consumption restaurants, cafes or a spa in Edmonton within the year.”

That certainly sounds promising for cannabis tourism in Canada. But Nathan finds a major setback in the mentality of those responsible.

“When we speak to the political class and the bureaucratic class, they seem to disproportionately represent the 27% of Canadians who disagree with cannabis, and underestimate the 73% of Canadians who do.”

Nathan posits it’s likely a cannabis stigma. “I think a big part of that is because they still think it’s glass beads, bongs, and Bob Marley,” he says.

Still, it’s no surprise to our readers that cannabis users aren’t a 1970s stereotype.

“These are functional members of society. When you spend money, you have disposable income,” says Nathan. He mentions that 25% of global travelers said they would like to have a cannabis experience when travelling. Why shouldn’t we capitalize on this?

“It just feels like a direct hit,” he says.

Nobody cares about cannabis tourism in Canada

Part of the problem is that the government hasn’t legalized cannabis for economic reasons.

“Because Health Canada created the Cannabis Act, they never gave an economic mandate to a federal department or a provincial department or a minister,” says Nathan. “That means nobody cares about the jobs. Nobody cares about the money. Nobody cares about the created taxation.”

But Nathan is optimistic about the economic roundtable and the cannabis law review. Likewise, CBD — and possibly other smaller cannabinoids — are being approved as natural health products.

“I think the Economic Roundtable allows us to have conversations about where cannabis is right now, where it can go and how it can be a real economic engine of Canada’s economy.”

He says the government can now be confident of moving forward as the sky has not fallen and other countries are looking to legalize it.

“73% of Canadians support legalizing cannabis,” says Nathan. Many believe it was Justin Trudeau’s greatest (perhaps only) real achievement as Prime Minister.

“One thing to remember,” says Nathan, “is that most people don’t know anything about the cannabis sector at all.” And that includes cannabis tourism in Canada.

So it’s up to Canada’s cannabis connoisseurs to continue to stand up for rights and opportunity.

Cannabis Tourism in Alberta

“Alberta was the first province to allow public consumption of cannabis at live events and festivals,” says Nathan. “We believe this is an example of what can be done in other jurisdictions.”

However, Nathan notes that they still haven’t gotten the province to approve the sale of cannabis at events and festivals. However, the government allows curbside delivery.

“When they created the rules out of Covid, they never defined how far the curb had to be from the store,” says Nathan. “So why can’t it be on the side of the road at a live event or festival?”

Is there anything more patriotic than exploiting bureaucratic loopholes in the nanny state? Still, Nathan says the barriers preventing cannabis tourism in Canada are collapsing.

“There’s no reason we can’t be selling cannabis growers, mocktailers and infused chips at festivals this summer,” he says.

“We just have to keep pushing our representatives and regulators to make this happen.” Cannabis tourism is likely months, not years, away.”

Nathan Mison will be speaking at the upcoming Grow Up Conference and Expo in Edmonton, Alberta. The conference will take place from May 28th to 30th.