When the legalization of marijuana comes into effect, Spirit Leaf hopes to be the primary source for safe recreational cannabis in Bonnyville.
In preparation for the federal government's impending legalization, Spirit Leaf franchise owners Kyle Sargent and Thya Savisky are getting ready to provide an avenue for recreational distribution.
Currently, Spirit Leaf has received approval for over 90 dispensaries worldwide. The owners gave a detailed breakdown of their business plan at the Tuesday, Jan. 9 Town of Bonnyville council meeting.
“Legalization is slated for 2018, and we want the Town of Bonnyville to be a part of this exciting new industry. We're here to introduce Spirit Leaf, our store in Bonnyville that will provide legalized cannabis in a Canadian-regulated environment,” explained Savisky.
Spirit Leaf is currently the only cannabis company in the country that has been accepted into the Canadian Franchise Association. Using space in the Arctic Spas building on 50 Ave., the pair hopes to provide the community with a safe alternative to the black market.
“We feel if people have a legal location to purchase recreational cannabis, they're probably going to make that choice over meeting with a black market dealer. People want to go to a safe place where they can purchase their product,” explained Sargent.
Given the elevated risk of break and enter or theft, Spirit Leaf has made safety their primary concern. Preliminary drawings indicate the inside of the store won't be visible to the public, and security will be taken care of by a professional service. The pair have even explored the idea of protecting against possible vehicular damage to the building.
“There's a security department that comes along with the franchise, and their role is ensuring that building is safe 24-hours a day. We'll have cameras, motion detectors, and slide down doors for all of the entry points. We've also talked about how people sometimes like to drive their vehicles through a store's front window and protecting against that,” detailed Sargent.
Council carefully considered the delegation, but won't be able to make a decision until they're given instruction on provincial cannabis regulations.
“The point I want to make sure everybody's aware of, is we get our marching orders from the province on this. When this is ready to go, we would have to make sure we received direction from them first,” said Mayor Gene Sobolewski.
While there's no indication on how the provincial government intends to handle recreational distribution, Spirit Leaf has franchises across Alberta approved and ready to go.
With legalization set to take place over the summer, Sargent and Savisky want the Town of Bonnyville to be a part of the industry.
“When recreational cannabis is legalized, the Canadian market will generate between $4.9-billion to $8.7-billion,” said Sargant. “We want to open a location to avoid the mom and pop shops that may be persuaded into the black market. As a franchise, you just can't operate that way.”
