B.C. Retailers Express Frustration Competing with BCCS

Private cannabis retailers in B.C. are expressing frustration towards having to compete alongside government retail stores, per CBC.

The Breakdown

• In British Columbia, private retailers compete alongside the public government cannabis stores, known as the BC Cannabis Stores (BCCS).
• There are approximately 33 public government stores and over 400 private retailers.
• Private retailers claim the BCCS offer products at prices that they simply cannot compete with and are severely undercutting the market, creating an unfair advantage for themselves.
• Jaclynn Pehota, the executive director of the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers (ACCRES) predicts that 15% of private retailers will close due to a lack of profitability within the next 6 months.

Our Perspective

Add this to the long list of complaints being made towards government involvement in the cannabis retail space. B.C. is a unique case-study as one of the only provinces where private retailers compete alongside government brick-and-mortar locations. Whereas provinces like Alberta are exiting online cannabis sales, it does not appear that B.C. is planning to do the same anytime soon. Regardless of whether the BCCS is practicing predatory pricing, or simply being competitive, it’s clear they aren’t focused solely on being in areas that are under-served by the private sector, which is a major problem for private retailers already struggling to stay afloat.

Psychedelic Study Design Controversy

A recent study published in Nature Medicine suggesting psilocybin may be an effective treatment for depression is being heavily scrutinized by scientists and has raised a number of concerns regarding the studies design and the dissemination of psychedelic research in general, per Vice.

The Breakdown

• The study was published in a prominent journal and authored by several well-known psychedelic researchers such as Robin Carhart-Harris and David Nutt.
• The study compared the brains of people treated with either an antidepressant called escitalopram, or psilocybin, with the authors suggesting that psilocybin might lead to a decrease in “brain network modularity,” or an increase in different parts of the brain functionally connecting with each other.
• Scientists raised concerns, primarily related to switching the depression-measurement scales utilized, how statistically sound it was to compare the antidepressant and psilocybin groups, and whether the data provided enough scientific evidence to conclude there was “proof” as to how psilocybin works differently compared to an SSRI.
• These criticisms led to a heated exchange between the authors of the study and John Hopkin’s Manoj Doss and Fred Barrett, and Yale’s Phil Corlett and primarily highlights the nuance of study design, science communication, and, most importantly the challenges in promoting complex findings that can be both interesting but still preliminary.

Our Perspective

The authors of the study agreed that they could have phrased the significance of the study differently and stated that “the specific paper referenced did not find ‘proof’ that psilocybin therapy decreases brain modularity to a significantly greater extent than 6 weeks of escitalopram.” We feel that this is an important conversation that speaks to a wider issue surrounding the limitations of psychedelic study design and the importance of remaining critical towards psychedelic research and not simply celebrating all published research on the topic. You can see a full breakdown of Robin Carhart-Harris’ response here.

Enter our Giveaway for Free Tickets to O’Cannabiz

O’Cannabiz is fast approaching, and we will be exhibiting alongside AAPS at Booth #653. We would love to connect with you there! We are giving away 20 free tickets that can be used for one expo day (June 2 or 3). Check the details down below on how to enter.

The Breakdown

• Must be a Cannabis 360 Subscriber
• Follow Cannabis 360 on Instagram and tag 2 Friends in our most recent O’Cannabiz speaker announcement post.
• Must be 19 or older.
• Must be located in Ontario and able to attend.

Our Perspective

Follow these simple steps and enter to win your free ticket to O’Cannabiz and don’t forget to stop by our booth, we look forward to meeting everyone in-person!