Missouri officially joined the adult-use club early this morning, as state officials gave the green light to recreational sales three days ahead of schedule.
This marks the fastest vote-to-sale time in legal cannabis history. Missouri voters approved adult-use legalization on the Nov. 8, 2022, ballot. Less than three months later, local residents lined up to sample the goods.
Sales were expected to begin on Monday, Feb. 6, but yesterday afternoon state regulatory officials said they would allow adult-use sales to start on Friday morning at 196 operating medical marijuana dispensaries.
That caused some confusion, as it remained unclear whether all stores would be ready to serve non-medical customers over the weekend.
A number of stores were vying for “first sale” bragging rights. The Good Day Farm store in Independence recorded its first sale (photo above) at 8:12 a.m.
Leafly will continue to follow today’s opening as it rolls on across the state.
Congratulations, Missouri!
CONGRATULATIONS MISSOURI We have the Greenlight to open adult use TODAY. We have added our medical patient (& Founders Club) line on the salesfloor, in store kiosks, Grab & Go pick up windows, and drive thru enhancments.
While licensed cannabis retailers jump through bureaucratic hoops and pay excessive taxes on the faulty premise that this contributes to “public health and safety,” the B.C. Bud market of “illicit” retailers doesn’t face these same hurdles.
Particularly on Indigenous Reserves, where the plaintiffs claim damages of at least $40 million in lost revenue.
Justice Basran considered whether the province owed the plaintiffs a private law duty of care in this context. The plaintiffs claimed the province committed torts of negligence and negligent misrepresentation.
But what does this mean? And was Justice Basran’s dismissal of the lawsuit justified?
Details of the Plaintiff’s (Cannabis Retail) Argument
While the cannabis retailers suing the province wished to remain anonymous, CLN uncovered who they were. Their position is understandable. The government sold them a bill of goods.
When Canada legalized cannabis, the province of B.C. effectively said, “play by the rules and you’ll profit.” The reality has been anything but.
Obviously, licensed cannabis retailers are at a competitive disadvantage vis-a-vis the unlicensed cannabis shops.
So why did Justice Basran dismiss the lawsuit?
First, let’s look at what the plaintiffs claimed in their suit. What do “torts of negligence” and “negligent misrepresentation” refer to in this context?
Tort Law
Negligence is a fundamental concept in tort law. It means a failure to exercise a degree of care reasonable people would exercise in similar circumstances.
To establish a claim of negligence, the plaintiff (in this case, a group of licensed cannabis retailers) needed to prove the following:
That the province of B.C. owed a duty of care to the licensed cannabis retailers.
That the province breached that duty by failing to meet the standard of care expected under the circumstances (i.e. The province’s cannabis enforcement authority should have been raiding unlicensed shops more than they were)
That the province’s breach of duty directly caused harm or damages (i.e. Causation) to the licensed cannabis retailers
And that these actual harms (or losses) result from the province’s breach of duty.
The plaintiffs alleged that B.C. failed to enforce cannabis regulations (specifically, the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act) on Indigenous Reserves. They claimed this negligence resulted in damages of at least $40 million.
Negligent misrepresentation is a specific type of negligence claim that arises when one party provides false or misleading information to another party, and the party receiving the information relies on it (to their detriment).
To establish negligent misrepresentation, the licensed cannabis retailers had to prove the following:
That the province made a false statement, whether intentionally or not
That the plaintiffs relied on this false statement
The plaintiffs suffered financial (or other) losses from relying on this false statement.
In this case, the plaintiffs said that B.C. promised them a viable, legal, above-the-board retail cannabis industry. One way of ensuring this would be to take enforcement action against unlicensed retailers, whether on Indigenous Reserves or not.
Did the B.C. Government Owe a Duty of Care to the Cannabis Retailers?
Unlicensed cannabis shop in B.C.
Justice Basran considered whether the province owed the plaintiffs a private law duty of care. The B.C. government argued that it did not owe such a duty because the parties had no direct relationship.
But what does this mean?
In tort law, a “duty of care” is a legal obligation imposed on an individual (or group, entity, etc.) to exercise reasonable care and caution to prevent harm to others affected by their actions and omissions.
Of course, not all actions or omissions give rise to a duty of care. That’s where proximity comes in, which refers to the direct relationship between the parties. In this case, whether a direct connection between the province’s cannabis regulators and the cannabis retailers justifies imposing a legal duty.
Justice Basran had to determine whether the province of B.C. owed a “private law duty of care” to the cannabis retailers. Of course, B.C. argued that it did not. They argued that their duty was the “public interest,” not the economic interests of specific businesses.
Justice Basran agreed that no duty of care existed due to lack of proximity.
How Did the Court Come to this Decision?
Justice Basran dismissed the B.C. cannabis retail lawsuit based on the “plain and obvious” legal standard used when deciding to strike pleadings.
The court considered the Anns/Cooper test to determine whether a duty of care existed. This involves two stages. First, whether the harm alleged was reasonably foreseeable. And second, whether there is a close relationship between the parties (proximity).
Justice Basran found no prima facie duty of care between the province and the licensed cannabis retailers. The court argued that B.C.’s cannabis regulations do not establish a legislative intention to create such a duty.
The court also ruled that the claims made by the province (i.e. Get licensed and profit) did not create a sufficient relationship to impose a duty of care.
Suppose the court had recognized that such a duty exists. Justice Basran was concerned such a decision could result in more of these types of lawsuits where the province (and its regulators) are held liable for the economic losses of numerous businesses due to their incompetence.
Justice Basran weighed the potential negative consequences of such a decision and decided it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the legal system, taxpayers, or society as a whole to impose such a duty.
B.C. Court Dismisses Cannabis Retail Lawsuit
A B.C. court has dismissed the cannabis retail lawsuit. The decisions sound as if what’s convenient for the government overrules what’s just and fair.
Was Justice Basran’s dismissal of the lawsuit justified? Judges are, after all, only human. And there is an appeals court. So, there may be more to the case in the future.
In the meantime, to argue that judges in Canada have far too much power, that they are, in effect, legislating from the margins is considered a “far-right” viewpoint.
But there is nothing “far-right” or even “far-left” about upholding the values that underpin our rule of law.
Suppose governments can evade the consequences of their actions because of the potential cost to taxpayers or the legal system. In that case, there is no rule of law.
Washington State legalized weed in 2012 and things rolled out slowly but surely. Then things took a rough turni in 2020. Since then, crimes against cannabis has soared in Seattle, causing angst among business owners.
In the summer of 2022, which then Mayor Jenny Durbin refers to as “the summer of love“, the city stood by as protesters looted downtown and took over a major park in a popular neighborhood. The area was a declared a “free zone” and the Mayor allowed protesters to occupy the neighboring police headquarters. A majority of the city council declared the problem was the police and insisted on joining the Defund the Policy campaign.
Shortly afterwards, the police chief quit followed by over 600 more officers three years later. Crime has skyrocketed and the downtown is struggling compared to other major cities. Another problem arising from the chaos? Crime against cannabis dispensaries have become very popular, massive smash and grabs in record numbers.
The trend is for groups of 2-6 to steal a Kia and drive it through the storefront. Knowing they have have plenty of time before police arrive, they loot products, hunt for cash and ride off in backup car. Sometimes they hit 2 or 3 dispensaries a night. The damage to the building, lost product and the length of repairs all hits the bottom line for small business owners.
“Washington marijuana shops experienced a dramatic uptick in robberies following the defund the police movement. Adult use weed shops have enjoyed the ability to utilize credit unions and armored car cash pickup since the inception of the industry. It is the anti police political movement that created today’s crisis. Record low police staffing and anti pursuit legislation have been the main causes of pot shop robberies. We’re soft targets for criminals.”
“The ability to accept credit cards would deter armed robberies because we wouldn’t have as much cash on hand. Thieves are going after product and really aren’t getting very much considering the massive costs of rebuilding smashed stores. The remains of the police department are doing what they can. A hindrance are prosecutors and judges who are relatucant to lock up the criminals” shares Ian Eisbenberg, the own of the Uncle Ike’s dispensaries.
The region is consumed with a fentanyl crisis. With four months left in 2023, fatalities so far this year from illicit fentanyl stood Thursday at 704, according to data from Seattle & King CountyPublic Health. It is just eight shy of 2022’s total of 712 fentanyl-involved overdose deaths. In June, a majority of the city council shocked the public by voting against enforcing a state drug law that would have allowed the city to prosecute people for using illegal drugs in public. Smash and grab crimes have only increased since.
City Council member Sara Nelson and Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison have been working to turn the tide of the crime spree, but they have been hamstrung by the existing City Council.
With the local paper, the Seattle Times saying cannabis dispensaries robberies hitting a record high, business owners and consumers are become frustrated.
The Cannabis Control Commission meets Monday absent its chairwoman after she was suddenly suspended from her job last week.
On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Deb Goldberg removed pot boss Shannon O’Brien from her post just a year after the former gubernatorial candidate took the job steering marijuana policy for the state. The suspension, with pay, was made public the next day.
O’Brien, who previously won election as State Treasurer, was appointed to lead the five member commission by Goldberg last August. The chairwoman is paid $181,722 per year for her work.
