Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice collected feedback on how it should regulate the sale of cannabis through an online survey, the results of which were released in the end of 2017.

According to the report, having a limited number of retailers allows for easier regulation. And because the retailers are private, they would be motivated by profit and consumer demand, ensuring that the variety of products they sell, and prices are highly competitive with the illicit market.

Other recommendations from the report include:

• Creating a preventative public information campaign to educate Canadians.
• Disincentivizing licensed retail outlets from selling to minors.
• Reinvesting a percentage of cannabis taxation into policing.
• Establishing a single point of entry for bulk cannabis, seeds, and clones.
• Licensing and regulating the distributor through a central cannabis advisory board.
• Granting a limited number of licenses to private retailers to minimize the illicit market.

Both wholesaling and retailing of cannabis are conducted by the private sector and regulated by SLGA. Cannabis retailers are required to establish a standalone storefront operation, with the option to operate an online store.

The initial allocation of retail store permits are in municipalities and First Nations with populations of at least 2,500, with larger communities being allocated additional permits. From September 1, 2020, SLGA began accepting cannabis retail store permit applications for all communities. As of March 2023, SLGA has issued 164 cannabis retail permits, 212 licensed producers’ registrations and 5 wholesale permits.

Data collected by Statistics Canada show that retail sales in Saskatchewan totaled $136.3 million in 2020 comparing to about $73.2 million in 2019. Total sales reached $158.2 million in 2021 and 2022 brought in $186.1 million, peaking in December at over $17 million.

A policy expert in the province says Saskatchewan cannabis market could reach $250-million.

Cannabis micro Cultivation Business Plan Sample, Saskatchewan

Cannabis business plan templates for Canada are also available at cannabusinessplans.ca.