The BC Craft Farmers Co-op held BC’s first legally approved downtown cannabis street party in Prince George, where they received a special event permit to close a city block to traffic for an all-day 4/20 celebration.
The mayor of the city, Simon Yu, has been very supportive of the cannabis industry and even approved a significant fee reduction for cannabis retailers in January. Thousands of people attended the event including the mayor and there were no reported incidents. This party was part of the BC Craft Cannabis Summit which was held over the weekend.
After this successful event in Prince George, the BC Craft Farmers Co-Op is calling upon the City of Vancouver to reconsider their 4/20 celebration policy and develop plans to host a major international cannabis tourism event that could bring tens of millions of dollars to the city and shine a light on the world’s best cannabis farmers.
“Instead of erecting barriers and using valuable police resources to shake down vendors, the City of Vancouver and Destination BC should embrace the concept of cannabis tourism,” says BC Craft Farmers Co-Op President Tara Kirkpatrick. “Vancouver has an opportunity to sanction an annual and professionally run special event similar in scale to Vancouver’s Pride Parade that celebrates British Columbia’s rich cannabis culture, promotes BC’s legendary craft cannabis farmers, and results in tens of millions of dollars for the BC economy. Some estimate the global cannabis tourism market to be over $15 billion. Our whole province can benefit from getting a piece of this market.”
Images courtesy of BC Craft Farmers Co-Op