Operations Manager of Plantlife Cannabis, Ian Scott is excited to bring cannabis education to Chestermere while challenging the stigma surrounding cannabis consumption.
“I fully welcome people. Even if you’re not wanting to consume cannabis or have any plans on consuming cannabis to come and say hello,” Scott said.
“I know for people who don’t consume cannabis it takes a lot of guts to pull back the curtain and see what’s inside a cannabis retail shop,” Scott said.
Now that cannabis is legalized customers know exactly what they are purchasing, and the impacts it’s going to have.
“It’s all fully inspected by health Canada; what you see is what you get. It’s very rigid and very structured as to what makes it to market,” Scott said.
He added, “The educational portion is huge for us. There’s a ton of people that listen to what we’re saying, want to be educated, and have a ton of questions. We’re here to change the stigma of what cannabis is, and we’re here to educate people.”
Before the legalization of cannabis in Canada, Scott researched the industry by touring to Colorado, and California.
“It was interesting. We talked to individuals in the industry, the impacts the legalization of cannabis had on the state, it was eye-opening, the good and the bad,” Scott said.
“We were very interested in cannabis, for a long time we’ve seen the positives, and decided to dip our toes in that,” he added. “We’re just scratching the surface of what the industry will look like.”
The Plantlife Cannabis retailer was inspected by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) agency in December of 2018. However, much like other cannabis retailers, Scott had to wait in a queue to order cannabis.
“It’s been a long stretch, and there’s a lot of people who were in the same position as us in the waiting game,” Scott said.
“We’ve been lucky enough in the last month to have our license initialized and to order cannabis. It’s been great to kick those doors open, a lot of people have been waiting,” he said.
Adding, “I commend anybody who took the jump into this industry. Everybody is trying to do their best.”
Although it was difficult getting to this point for Scott, opening the doors and meeting customers has been worth the challenges.
“It’s amazing to see the people walk through our doors, and it’s amazing to see the people from different facets of life coming through there,” Scott said.
“I wish anybody outside of the industry could spend a day in the industry,” he added.
Scott sees every demographic, shape, and walk of life come through the doors looking for a variety of products.
From customers who have consumed for a long time to people who have never consumed before, to seniors, to moms and daughters,” Scott said.
“We’re extremely excited to be in Chestermere, and we’re privileged to be in Chestermere,” he added. “We appreciate the community support, and we’re very excited to be here. It’s been a long haul.”
