The Prince George City Council recently offered a preliminary approval for the Copilot, a leading cannabis dispensary planned by the American business partners Owen Ritz and Reed Horton. This venture was first announced in January by Prince George Airport Authority(PGAA), stating Copilot as the pioneer for travel.
According to the CEO of PGAA, Gordon Duke, the Copilot will greatly enhance the services of their business partners in offering passengers a better experience.
Cannabis was finally legalized in Canada in 2018, and since then, every province has established its own regulations for recreational cannabis on the retail shelves. Ontario had more than 1,100 licensed dispensaries by the end of 2021.
According to McNeish, most people thought that the barrier to spreading the impacts of cannabis was just legalization. However, it is more than that. Cannabis should be readily available to reach the right customers at the right time, even in airports and shopping malls.
As the retail environment improves with the legalization of recreational cannabis, companies like Copilot will greatly facilitate the availability of cannabis in novel locations to reach the consumers.
According to Canadian law, passengers can carry up to 30 grams of pot or equivalent other cannabis products on domestic flights. Copilot staff will check customers’ boarding passes to ensure they are booked only on domestic flights. Copilot will not sell cannabis to international passengers.
However, the airlines are still concerned that allowing cannabis sales and consumption at airports may increase intoxicated passengers, which can get risky. According to Jared Mikoch Gerke, the International Air Transport Association recently witnessed a 55% surge in unruly behavior of passengers within just a year. However, Prince George City Councilor Cori Ramsey says that since the airports already have cannabis consumption areas with regulations, it will be appropriate to start this venture.