On February 5, 2018 the BC Provincial Government announced decisions on public consumption, retail sales model, and personal cultivation. In BC, the Province has determined it will allow personal cultivation, some public consumption of vaped and smoked cannabis, and outlined a model for retail sales. Like most other provinces and territories BC is raising the minimum age to possess, purchase, and consume cannabis to 19 years old.

BC has a government-run wholesale distribution model. The BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) is the wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis in B.C. however, the retail model is a combination of both public and private retail. British Columbians from across the province can also purchase non-medical cannabis from the LDB’s online BC Cannabis Store.

Municipalities have the ability to ban private retail operations or further limit the nature and scope of these operations depending on their municipal bylaws and regulations.

British Columbia allows micro-cultivation (up to 200 square metres canopy space) and micro-processing (600 kg dried flower equivalents per year). As of March 2024, Health Canada had issued 105 micro-business licenses.

As of March 2024, 250 federal license holders and 484 cannabis retail licenses have been issued including 136 licenses to businesses throughout Vancouver.

Data collected by Statistics Canada show that retail sales in British Columbia reached about $43 million in December 2020, then decreased to $37 million in March 2021 and exceeded $50 million in October. Total retail sales reached about $550 million in 2021, nearly $670 million in 2022 and exceeded $790 million in 2023, peaking in August at around $75 million.

According to Arcview projections, British Columbia legal cannabis market will reach almost C$1 billion in annual sales by 2024, with about C$940 million recreational sales.

British Columbia Cannabis Market Infographics