COVID-19 has delivered a hard hit to many different types of businesses across Alberta and, indeed, the country. Would revising the rules governing cannabis retail in the province offer businesses a cushion and smoother transition to the new normal?

That’s what Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) is looking to find out with the release of a new survey this week. The short survey asks retail businesses about two things: should private-sector cannabis retailers be allowed to sell marijuana online and should they be permitted to sell non-cannabis items, such as clothing.

Either of those changes — or both — would require amending the provincial Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act (GLCA). As it stands, Alberta Cannabis is the “only legal, non-medical online cannabis store” in the province.

Ontario (via the Ontario Cannabis Store) and Quebec (via the Société québécoise du cannabis) are among the provinces that also have a government monopoly over selling marijuana online.

In Quebec, the law forbids the sale of any non-cannabis products — from T-shirts to mugs — if they have a weed image. After a lawsuit was filed in Quebec, The Canadian Press reported in April that a judge will now need to determine if provincial rules are too restrictive.

Back in Alberta, the AGLC suggests the feedback received on certain cannabis policies could help “ensure licensees have the opportunities necessary to support their businesses.”

Specifically, the survey asks if the GLCA should be amended to allow retail cannabis licensees to obtain an endorsement on their licence to sell cannabis online and if changes are needed to permit non-cannabis items (apparel, for example) to be sold by cannabis retailers.

Feedback on the anonymous survey can be provided until June 30.

The survey references “additional opportunities for in-store cannabis branding and marketing (that) would be helpful for supporting both cannabis retail and licensed cannabis producer businesses,” according to Marijuana Business Daily, quoting an AGLC spokesperson.

The consultation was sent to almost 2,000 stakeholders and “has generated considerable interest thus far,” the spokesperson said. There was no firm date on exactly when the regulator expects to release a document summarizing the feedback.

Any changes could mean new or enhanced revenue streams for private retailers. AGLC reports that there are currently 646 cannabis providers in the province.

A consultation carried out by the AGLC last year found that “most stakeholders favoured the relaxing of inducement policies to enable marketing and promotional activities in retail cannabis stores.”