Summer Compliance Refresher Training a Must for Retail Cannabis Licensees in BC

Summer is a busy time of year for retail cannabis licensees in BC. The long summer days mean more people enjoying increased social time, vacation days, festivals, events and increased tourism in general. This usually translates to more in-store traffic and more pressure on the day-to-day operations of retail cannabis stores.

While the increased summer business is always welcome to cannabis retailers, it’s also an environment that’s primed for compliance issues – the perfect compliance infraction storm. It’s all too easy to become complacent when business is good and employees are busy serving customers, although compliance-preparedness should actually increase in the busy season instead of faltering. Stores should focus on compliance fundamentals during these busy times, ensuring that employees consistently follow store policies and regulatory requirements.

Inspections and Enforcement Often Increases in Summer

The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) continues inspections and enforcement activities throughout the summer season. Inspection and enforcement, including the Minors as Agents Program, usually becomes more active during traditionally busy months such as around Christmas and in summer months. Inspectors want you to remain compliant all year long, not just when you “have time”, so during these busy seasons, they increase the frequency of unannounced visits or send underage agents into your store to see how your staff handles ID verification.

Enforcement action may occur when contraventions are identified during inspections or investigations. Depending on the circumstances, enforcement action may include monetary penalties, licence suspension, or licence cancellation. This can be time consuming and costly!

A little refresher training can keep your hard-earned cannabis license safe.

Refresher Training and Compliance Tools

Summer can be a good time for cannabis retailers to revisit store procedures and provide refresher training for staff. Reviewing policies regularly may also help stores identify operational gaps before they become larger compliance issues.

Helpful tools and training may include:

• Age verification procedure reviews
• Refresher training for managers and retail staff
• Daily opening and closing compliance checklists
• Store policy and procedure reviews
• Inspection preparedness reviews
• Incident documentation procedures
• Employee compliance sign-off forms
• Internal compliance audits
• Record keeping and documentation systems
• Staff training on licence terms and conditions

Compliance Resources

LCRB provides several resources to help cannabis retailers understand compliance expectations, enforcement procedures, and strategies for preventing contraventions. Reviewing these materials regularly can help stores maintain strong operational practices throughout busy seasons.

• Enforcement Action
• Preventing Contraventions
• Minors as Agents Program
• Cannabis Retail Store Licence Handbook

Don’t Risk Your Cannabis License! Get Help with Compliance Preparedness

Don’t put your BC cannabis license at risk! Let the retail cannabis consultants at Thrive Advisors protect your most valuable asset.

At Thrive Liquor & Cannabis Advisors, we provide practical compliance support for BC cannabis retailers, including refresher training, customized compliance tools like daily compliance checklists and operational checklists, and in-store compliance audits. Our goal is to help stores strengthen day-to-day compliance practices and identify potential concerns before they become enforcement issues or result in enforcement action from the LCRB.