“The sky didn’t fall, obviously,” Christian says. “I think, perhaps, the revenues have been overstated and I think that there’s some balancing still going on between legalized, government-supplied cannabis and the illegal supply. By and large, this is just another retail opportunity among many in the city of Kamloops.”

According to BC’s Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety, Mike Farnworth, cannabis generates $30 million per month in BC. He’s gone on record saying there’s room for growth in the industry. Here in Kamloops, Mayor Ken Christian says residents have a wealth of choices in the cannabis retail market.

Farnworth is aware municipalities are jonesing for a share of the pot profits in the province. He says the provincial government is still working on just how that will be addressed.

“I know that revenue sharing, certainly from a local government perspective, is an important issue for them,” Farnworth says. “We have been in discussion and working on that issue with UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) and the Ministry of Finance, which has responsibility for taxation policy is very much aware of the interest of local government in revenue sharing.”

So, while the politicians battle it out over cannabis revenues, consumers are blessed with new products to try every day. Like Schweitzer said – Cannabis Christmas.

“Now that we’ve been able to launch drinks, topicals, and everything that is complaints in the recreational market, the consumers have so much choice,” Schweitzer says. “Now they can set their experiences to exactly what situation they’re in. Before, they just had to buy what was available.”