A cozy, clean patio with picnic tables where Penticton\u2019s potheads can gather outside a dispensary to get stoned is a surprisingly rare space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of February 2024 cannabis shops in BC could have outdoor lounges for people to smoke, but they still aren\u2019t very popular. Cannabis Cottage in Penticton set up their smoking patio shortly after the law changed in 2024, officially opening their outdoor smoking lounge in April of last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mariana Wolff runs Cannabis Cottage in Penticton and said the shop\u2019s patio is one of the only ones she knows of in the area since regulations make it really challenging to monetize or advertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat’s probably part of the reason that it’s not super popular across the province yet. We did have to put in some of the business’s money to make the patio so that people could walk on it, put picnic tables out there, up the pathway. And there’s no monetization,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dispensary doesn\u2019t charge people to hangout and smoke, or drink cans of infused beverages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wolff said her idea was to eventually have weed infused baked goods and turn the dispensary into something like a pot cafe, but the provincial regulations haven\u2019t allowed that dream to come true. Edibles need to be prepackaged for sale in B.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the moment the patio exists solely because Wolff said she\u2019s passionate about the industry, the culture and hopes that if public pot consumption spaces become more popular regulation changes will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe genuinely love having people that are like-minded gather and giving them a space to gather. It’s absolutely ideal for anybody who’s looking to take an alcohol break or avoid alcohol,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, the BC government allows people to smoke weed anywhere they can smoke tobacco or vape, including private patios that choose to allow it. But since the federal government heavily restricts any advertising for cannabis it\u2019s hard for dispensaries to promote themselves, including promoting a pot-friendly patio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe haven’t been able to promote it basically at all with how restrictive our industry is with advertising. Just through word of mouth it’s kind of started to develop a bit of a culture. We’re trying to give Canada’s culture a space to actually hang out in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wolff said the patio is usually pretty busy with folks who live in strata developments that don\u2019t allow smoking on the property and those who just want a place to socialize and meet new people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe’ve got a crew of regulars that come out there at all times of the day. You’d be surprised, first thing in the morning it\u2019s not dead,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes you’ll see a game of cards going out there. People that you wouldn’t expect to be meeting together and sitting together are actually sitting together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said weed shops can\u2019t have loyalty rewards programs so Cannabis Cottage is throwing an event Saturday, Sept. 6, to show appreciation for their regulars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou get a chance to kind of have a meet and greet with different people that are very like minded and maybe experience other products that you weren’t curious about and didn’t have a chance to pick up for yourself or get some live music,\u201d she said. \u201cWe’re just grateful to be in this community and grateful to have all of the support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She thinks that if regulations loosened up a bit it would help the cannabis industry grow and there would be more spaces like the Cannabis Cottage “potio”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like if our regulators realized and accepted that the tax potential is there, we would be allowed to grow the businesses with simple tools like any other industry has, like advertising or loyalty programs,\u201d she said. \u201cIt would be just a stroke of a pen.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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