Calgary city council amended a bylaw Tuesday to allow the sale of cannabis products at 18+ events in the city.
The amendment to the Business Licence Bylaw permits temporary cannabis sales at adults-only entertainment events and trade shows, and prioritizes Calgary-based retailers, according to a release from the city.
The rule change comes after Coun. Kourtney Penner introduced a notice of motion in February calling for the bylaw to be amended.
"This amendment marks a significant step forward for Calgary, aligning our local regulations with provincial changes and supporting our city's vibrant entertainment scene," said Michael Briegel, deputy chief of business safety with the city.
"By allowing cannabis sales at 18+ events, we are ensuring compliance and implementing safety measures to protect minors."
The bylaw takes effect May 15 and prohibits the sale of cannabis at events where minors are also allowed. Only local retailers with an active or current business licence may sell cannabis at adults-only events, pending approval from Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) for temporary licence extensions.
Previous rules meant that cannabis consumption was confined to designated areas and the sale of marijuana products had to be kept separate from those areas.
Coun. Penner, who represents Ward 11, says changing the bylaw improves safety around cannabis sales without changing existing use regulations about where it can be consumed.
"The biggest issue is actually safety. So when you're transporting a substance through a large environment where people are having a great time, there's just, you know, opportunity for things to go wrong," she said.
"And so having a safe, secure site really just helps you control it and regulate the distribution. It will be no different than if you go to the beer gardens and you walk up to the counter and you were able to get your beer at a festival."
Penner says it will ultimately be the festival or event's choice to allow cannabis vendors to operate at their event.
She notes that cannabis vendors won't be seen at regular bars and venues that are adults-only though, as they have to comply with provincial rules. She says AGLC will be overseeing licensing for vendors who wish to temporarily set up shop at events.
"It really falls under the provision of a festival. So again, it has to be compliant with an AGLC licence," Penner said. "If it was a specific festival, one night, ticketed entry, perhaps. Again, they're going to have to check that with AGLC."
Nathan Mison, founder and president of Diplomat Consulting, a regulatory firm that has been advocating for changes to rules around the sale of cannabis, says it makes sense for Calgary to take this step in alignment with provincial rules.
Mison, also one of a the founders of Fire & Flower Cannabis Co., says his firm was involved in calling on the province to allow for cannabis sales at adults-only events.
"We're happy that Calgary has come to the table and that there will be opportunity for cannabis consumption at festivals and events in the ongoing future," he said.
Mison's firm also founded Positive Intent Events (PIE), a company focused on creating opportunities for cannabis consumption at festivals and other 18+ live events in Alberta.
PIE, in partnership with cannabis company High Tide, has already hosted a cannabis consumption garden at the International Fringe Theatre Festival in Edmonton, with more events lined up in that city this year, he says.
"We're now excited that there's the possibility that we could have the Calgary Stampede and other incredible events in Calgary," Mison said.
Mison says clearing other regulatory hurdles to get cannabis gardens at events like the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival in Calgary might take a little bit longer, but he's optimistic.
"It might be difficult to have [Stampede] included for this year, as robust as it could be, but, you know, the opportunities to have those conversations about what those possibilities should be start today," he said.
Mison adds that the acceptance of these rules could open the door for other forms down the line.
"I think now [lawmakers] are starting to see this is an economic opportunity for not just festivals and live events," he said. "The natural extension of that is clubs, coffee shops, cannabis chefs, cannabis restaurants — where it can either be an inebriant but also a new food flavour."
