{"id":3716,"date":"2022-01-18T16:01:35","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=191045"},"modified":"2022-01-18T16:01:35","modified_gmt":"2022-01-18T16:01:35","slug":"canada-might-be-home-to-the-worlds-first-airport-dispensary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3716","title":{"rendered":"Canada might be home to the world\u2019s first airport dispensary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Canada might be home to the world\u2019s first airport dispensary | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>A cannabis retail shop could soon open at the airport in Prince George British Columbia, making it the first cannabis store to open in any airport worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Cannabis retailer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopcopilot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Copilot<\/a> has met the regulatory requirements set by Transport Canada and the Province of B.C. and is now seeking a city license to open its doors for business.<\/p>\n<p>On January 11, the city council approved the first two readings of a bylaw amending the airport\u2019s zoning regulations to allow cannabis sales. <\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/ckpgtoday.ca\/2022\/01\/10\/council-moves-on-cannabis-application\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local new<\/a>s outlet, the readings were passed unanimously with little discussion. Copilot\u2019s application must undergo a third reading as well as a public hearing before the council makes a final decision. A date hasn\u2019t yet been announced.<\/p>\n<p>The cannabis retail store would be geared toward those travelling within Canada because travellers are allowed to bring as many as 30 grams of cannabis on domestic flights as long as they are of legal age. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) today announced that Copilot, which is pioneering cannabis for travel, has applied for a business license to operate at YXS. <\/p>\n<p>Click the link below to read the full release.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0Qbd0cyZyh\">https:\/\/t.co\/0Qbd0cyZyh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 YXS \u2013 PG Airport (@FlyYXS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FlyYXS\/status\/1479534541765152770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 7, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The store would not cater to those travelling abroad because it is illegal to carry cannabis across federal borders.&nbsp;The Copilot store would be located in a non-secure area of the airport terminal, which would make it accessible even to those who aren\u2019t travelling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Copilot was founded by Owen Ritz and Reed Horton, who were classmates at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The men were also teammates on the track team, which travelled to various meets. <\/p>\n<p>They noticed that, while many people rely on cannabis to ease travel-related stress, cannabis isn\u2019t available in airports, even in jurisdictions where its consumption is legal.<\/p>\n<p>That realization prompted them to launch their business initiative. \u201cWe started reaching out to airports in February 2020 and got some really good feedback,\u201d Ritz tells Leafly. <\/p>\n<p>He said the airport in Prince George appealed to them in part because it is relatively small, which gives it a community feel. \u201cFrom Day One, the Prince George Airport Authority (PGAA) stood out,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were keen.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-prince-george-airport-authority-receptive\">Prince George Airport Authority receptive<\/h2>\n<p>\u201c[Ritz and Horton] had a solid business plan that met our expectations for new business partners,\u201d PGAA president and CEO Gordon Duke <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pgairport.ca\/prince-george-airport-authority-prepares-to-welcome-copilot-to-yxs\/#:~:text=PGAA%20CEO%20Gordon%20Duke%20states,business%20license%20and%20provincial%20approval.&amp;text=They%20had%20a%20solid%20business,services%20available%20to%20our%20passengers.%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>, explaining why he was receptive to leasing Copilot retail space. \u201cWe welcome the opportunity to work with Copilot to expand the services available to our passengers.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Not everyone is quite as enthusiastic. The RCMP doesn\u2019t support the application because, in its view, such a store would have a negative impact on Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) staff at security screening, who oversee packing and weights for domestic flights. <\/p>\n<p>The RCMP also cites as a concern potential issues for connecting international flights at land borders where cannabis is not legal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Still, Ritz and Horton are optimistic about Copilot\u2019s prospects. \u201cWe are relatively new to the industry and this is our strong suit,\u201d Horton tells Leafly. <\/p>\n<p>He noted that Copilot has investors and advisers who have ample experience in the industry. Their lead investor is <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.crescolabs.com\/investors\/governance\/board-of-directors\/person-details\/default.aspx?ItemId=76a73405-637c-4516-9887-a8cb4e7b6260\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Marc Lustig<\/a>,&nbsp; founder and\u202fCEO of CannaRoyalty Corp. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOwen and I want to see cannabis retail stores in airports across Canada and, one day, the United States,\u201d Reed said. \u201cWe really believe in the concept.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/canada-might-be-home-to-the-worlds-first-airport-dispensary.jpg\" alt=\"Randi Druzin's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Randi Druzin<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Randi Druzin is an author and journalist in Toronto. She has worked at several major media outlets, including the National Post and the CBC, and has written for dozens of publications, such as The New York Times, Time magazine, ESPN The Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/randi-druzin\">View Randi Druzin&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-01-19 00:10:52 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada might be home to the world\u2019s first airport dispensary | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. A cannabis retail shop could soon open at the airport in Prince George British Columbia, making it the first cannabis store to open in any airport worldwide. Cannabis retailer Copilot has met the regulatory requirements set&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/canada-might-be-home-to-the-worlds-first-airport-dispensary.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}