Prince George one step closer to landing what could be world's first cannabis store in an airport terminal - Action News
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British Columbia

Prince George one step closer to landing what could be world's first cannabis store in an airport terminal

The Prince George airport may soon be home to what's believed to be the world's first cannabis store inside an airport terminal.

City council voted Monday night to move project along after hearing from public

The Prince George Airport Authority says it's on board with a plan to open a cannabis store in the northern B.C. city's airport terminal. (Contributed/Prince George Airport Authority)

Passengers flying through a small airport inPrince George, B.C., may soon be able to buycannabis fortheir carry-on.

Copilot, a cannabis company based in Langley, B.C., launched by two American-based entrepreneurs, is proposing to build what it calls the first cannabis store in the world to belocated inside an airport terminal in the northern city.

On Monday night, Prince George city council voted unanimouslyfor the project to pass its public hearing stage. It still requires final approval from the city, likely this spring.

"There are [cannabis] stores in Canada and the U.S.that are close to the airport,but there is not a single store that we know of that's operating within the confines of an airport," Copilot co-founder Owen Ritz told CBC News.

Copilot hopes to provide retail cannabis to domestic passengers, as well as off-duty airport and airline staff. A concept of the storefront, above. (Submitted by Copilot)

The Prince George Airport Authority is on board with the project it calls "pioneering."

"If you think back to years ago, there was no liquor stores in airports and now there is liquor stores in airports all across the country," said Gordon Duke, CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority. "So this is an evolution."

"Yes, it's new, and we all may have our personal opinions on the wisdom of legalizing cannabis. It doesn't change the fact that it is a legal product allowed to be retailed withrobust regulatory requirements," said Duke.

Ritz said his company's goal is to make travel "less stressful and more enjoyable."

If the proposal takes flight,the airport willbuild a cannabis consumption spotclose to the designated smoking area in aparking lot, said Chrisie Berry, the airport authority's manager of community relations.

Copilot says it won't sell cannabis to flight crews or airport staff who are on duty.

The proposed store is slated to be built close to airport security screening, in a space that currently offersmassage chairs, desksand vending machines.

Within Canada, domestic travellers can legally carry 30 grams of cannabis, but it's illegal to carry drugs over an international border.

Airlines can also deny boarding to passengers who are visibly intoxicated.

In an email to Prince George city council in January, Wade Erickson, an airline pilot with 30,000 hours of flying time, said intoxicatedtravellers can put airplane crews and passengers at risk.

As well, Erickson saidthe proposed name of the Copilot storewas"extremely disrespectful and derogatory to the entire aviation profession.... It would be no different than calling the store 'Cop Cannabis'or 'Mayor Munchies.' "

Coun. Kyle Sampson said council's job was to vote on appropriate land use, but also encouraged the applicants to reconsider the proposed name.

"We're hearing kind of unanimously from the airline industry that they're offended by this, and I think that you might need to do some more consultation on that," he said.

The company says while this was the last major regulatory approval required,Prince George and B.C. will still needto formally approve the project.

If approved, construction could start as early asApril.

Clarifications

  • An earlier version of this story stated that Copilot was an American cannabis company. In fact, the company was founded by two entrepreneurs who are based in the United States, but the company's head office is in Langley, B.C.
    Feb 08, 2022 11:01 AM PT