Should cannabis shops have to hide pot from store windows? Regulator considers changing rules
Industry members say the opaque windows make things unsafe for employees
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario is considering amending regulations that require cannabis stores to ensure pot can't be seen from the exterior of their shop — and store owners say it's high time the rules change.
Restrictions limiting the visibility of cannabis from the exterior of stores are meant to ensure minors are not enticed by weed or pot accessories. The restriction has led many retailers to either install frosted windows or an interior wall that blocks the view of people passing by the exterior of the store.
Elisa Keay, of K's Pot Shop on Queen Street East in Toronto, says the regulation results in consequences for the shop.
"Your store is completely shut off from the rest of the world," she said. "We'd like to be more than just an opaque sign on the street."
The provincial body that oversees the licensing of pot shops says it is collecting feedback on the visibility of cannabis to respond to safety concerns. It will be collecting feedback until July 11 and it will notify stores at a later date should it decide to make changes to the regulations, according to an email sent to CBC Toronto.
Omar Khan, chief communications and public affairs officer with High Tide Inc., a national cannabis company, says there's not much for kids to see when it comes to how products are presented.
"These cannabis products are all in plain packaging anyways, so the only thing kids would be seeing would be literally ... nondescript plastic envelopes," he said.
Khan says his company has been lobbying on this issue for a while. In Ontario, High Tide is currently a client of Rubicon Strategy, according to the province's lobbyist registry.
Safety concerns for shop employees
Keay says being "shut off" by the frosted windows makes it hard for cannabis stores to feel like part of the streetscape they're included in.
It also causes safety concerns for those behind the counters — something that's led other provinces to reconsider the regulations. A significant rise in robberies prompted Alberta's cannabis regulator to allow stores to take down window coverings last summer.
In a letter sent to retailers in August 2022, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC) said use of violence and weapons had occurred in some of the robberies and the AGLC was concerned for the safety of staff, customers and responding police officers.
Khan says the frosted windows make cannabis stores prime targets.
"If you're a criminal looking to make a quick buck or steal some cannabis, what better environment to pick out than one where no one can see what you're doing from outside."
He says employees at High Tide stores have been zip-tied and physically assaulted during thefts.
"These proposed changes will create a much safer environment in these stores," he said.
With files from Lorenda Reddekopp and The Canadian Press