Earlier this year in one of our blogs, titled ‘Alberta Leads Nation in Marijuana Stores: Here’s how to Protect Your Shop From Thieves’, we covered research from Statistics Canada which found Alberta to be the leading province in Canada for both the number of cannabis stores and cannabis retail sales.

It was found that there were 75 legal retail cannabis stores in the province, which had sold a combined $33 million worth of legal marijuana since October 17, 2018 - when marijuana was first legalized.

The latest data from Statistics Canada has found that Alberta is the leading province in Canada for the number of cannabis stores, as well as the total amount of cannabis retail sales. With so much business in the province, security for your dispensary should be top-of-mind.

The research found that, as of the end of February 2019, there are 75 retail cannabis stores operating in Alberta. The province’s stores have combined to sell $33 million worth of legal marijuana since October 17, 2018, when marijuana was first legalized. 

While the rules surrounding cannabis cultivation, processing and sales vary from province to province, now that marijuana is legal in Canada, one thing remains the same – your cannabis based business requires top level security to keep your product and employees safe, as well as to ensure you meet regulated security requirements.

The marijuana industry is set to boom over the next couple of years. In fact, huge corporations such as beverage makers Diageo PLC and Molson Coors Canada are already investing, or at least planning to, in the sector.

A 2018 Deloitte report estimates Canadians will spend as much $7.17 billion on cannabis products in 2019.

While this is all great news for those within the licensed marijuana production industry, it does mean just one thing - securing your facility is absolutely essential. It will protect your revenues and ensure your business continues to run efficiently. 

Recreational marijuana will soon be legal across Canada after the senate voted to pass the bill earlier this month. This imminent legalization, which is expected to official be October 17, means owners of licensed marijuana facilities need to establish unique security solutions to deter criminals and meet industry regulations.

With the imminent legalization of marijuana in Canada and the growth of legal marijuana facilities, owners need to establish unique security solutions that protect them against theft and deter criminals.

The legal production, growing, cultivation, and selling of marijuana is already very well regulated with rules in place for the safe provision of medical marijuana. Marijuana is listed under Schedule II of the CDSA, meaning it is defined as a controlled substance. 

This month, the Liberal Government announced that they will be introducing legislation by July 2018 that will legalize marijuana.

It's still unclear how cannabis will be distributed (i.e. government run stores, pharmacies or private shops, etc.) and what requirements will need to be fulfilled before a retail store or grow op can be started, but what we can foresee is an increase in the number of legal marijuana retailers and growers.

As political and business interests grow in legalizing marijuana in Canada, many businesses are poised to take advantage of the potential boom in marijuana production, distribution and retail.

The legal production, growing and cultivation, and selling of marijuana is already regulated and in place for the provision of medical marijuana. But if the federal Liberals make good on their promise to allow recreational use of the drug with friendlier laws on medical marijuana use in Canada - marijuana farming could boom and so will their security needs.