World's First Airport Weed Shop Loses Its Boarding Pass (And Lease), Officials Site Market Conditions

Canadians, well some of them, were hoping to get a quick toke before boarding their flight at a British Columbia airport. Last year, Prince George Airport was set to become the first in the world to open a retail cannabis shop on its terminal. But alas, the project fell through.

What Happened

In December, the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) announced that Cloudbreak Cannabis,– previously known as Copilot Cannabis, “would not be signing a lease or beginning construction, citing changing market conditions." Apparently, the decision was made due to changing economic conditions, reported MjBizDaily.

“A lot has changed in the economy,” said PGAA president and CEO Gordon Duke. “And certainly, we’ve seen with interest rates and inflation, just in the past six months, it has really changed the economic environment.”

Duke said the store was in development for about three years and was due to open in the first quarter of this year before the change of plans.

It took longer to develop than a regular airport retail store would typically take, citing regulatory hurdles related to opening cannabis stores as well as the added complexity of opening one in an airport, said Duke. “We were hopeful and enthused that this might come to fruition, however, we understand the risk associated with any startup business.”

Last year, one of Canada's busiest airports, Toronto Pearson, reportedly hired a lobbyist to explore the possibility of retailing cannabis. However, the governing authority of the airport ruled out those business plans before they got off the ground.

Canadians Use Cannabis Responsibly

Canadians still prefer smoking as the most common method of consuming cannabis, despite a decline in recent years, showed a recent 2022 Canadian Cannabis Survey.

Among the survey findings is that cannabis use among people aged 16 to 19 has returned to pre-legalization levels in 2021 and 2022. Most respondents even said they bought products in legal stores. The report also showed while stoned on weed decreased between 2018 and 2021 and remained unchanged in 2022.

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Photo: Courtesy Of Oskar Kadaksoo On Unsplash