City Cannabis Company, previously under the name Vancity Weed, has obtained Vancouver’s first private dispensary licence of 2019. This brings the number of legal retail stores in the province to five—one of which is the government-owned B.C. Cannabis Store in Kamloops.
The licence was granted to a new location, not yet operational, at 7289 Fraser Street. Krystian Wetulani, ceo and president of City Cannabis Co., says he’s excited about the news and expects a second licence for his first location—a shop currently open for business on 610 Robson Street—to follow in a few days.
The Robson location opened in 2016 and operates under a business license from the City of Vancouver.
Wetulani says the application process for both stores took about five months and doesn’t have a projected opening date for the Fraser Street location yet.
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“I am hoping as soon as possible. If I could open tomorrow I would!” says Wetulani on the phone to the Straight, laughing.
The first step, he says, is a webinar for licensees explaining the newly-designed provincial ordering system. Once completed, Wetulani can register for the wholesale and distribution of federally approved cannabis products.
“It’s definitely a learning process for all of us…the city, the province, and us,’ he says. ‘But there has been lots of communication back and forth, so in the end I am really fortunate and happy to be through the process.”
Wetulani says he’ll have a better idea of when he can open the Fraser Street location’s doors once the B.C. Liqour Distribution Branch (the authority charged with cannabis distribution in the province) accepts his first order.
For a sneak peek of what to expect, however, the Robson location is still open for business. With interactive iPad menus, reclaimed wood furniture, and lush greenery, City Cannabis Co. is designed to reflect a modern Pacific Northwest aesthetic. The store’s website says the retail experience is curated to blend Vancouver’s urban vibe with the natural backdrop of “coastal rainforests and majestic alpine mountains”.
City Cannabis Co. is the second privately-owned dispensary in Vancouver. In late December 2018, the city saw its first legal shop since federal legalization: Evergreen Cannabis, located at 2868 West 4th Avenue.
Two of the province’s other three privately licensed stores, Tamarak Cannabis Boutique and Earth’s Own Naturals LTD, are located in Kimberly, B.C., and a third in Pouce Coupe.
Update: City Cannabis Co.’s first location (610 Robson Street) received a licence on Friday (January 4).
