The Canadian federal government hopes that cannabis legalization will eliminate the black market, but not everyone wants to get out of the illegal pot business. The National Post spoke to people involved in the black market — from growers and dispensaries to a pot lounge owner — to find out what they plan to do when recreational marijuana becomes legal on Oct. 17.
On the laid-back and picturesque Gulf Islands in B.C., cannabis has become an entrenched part of the local economy, alongside the thriving arts, organic farming and yoga industries.
For the past 13 years, Sarah (the Post agreed not to use her real name) has carved out a living as a small-scale grower of craft cannabis products. She relishes the close relationship she’s formed with local customers, who include everyone from cancer patients to recreational users and dispensaries.
“It’s kind of like how you hope business could be,” she says. “It feels like I’m providing a helpful service that I really believe in.”