--- title: Weeds Gift & Glass - A Transition to Legalization description: Don and Carol discuss what it’s like for a brick-and-mortar legacy cannabis retail shop to transition to the legal market. image: https://certicraft.com/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2017%20WEEDS%20Gift%20%26%20Glass.jpeg --- # Weeds Gift & Glass - A Transition to Legalization Published
 Jun 08 2023 Last Updated Apr 06 2024 Author
 Sami Majadla ![Weeds Gift & Glass - A Transition to Legalization](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2017%20WEEDS%20Gift%20%26%20Glass.jpeg?height=477&name=State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2017%20WEEDS%20Gift%20%26%20Glass.jpeg) ##### Speak with us today! [Get in touch](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) Share - - - **On The State of Craft Episode 17, we were joined by founders of Weeds Gift & Glass, Don Briere and Carol Gwilt.**   **WEEDS Gift and Glass grew to be Canada's largest cannabis dispensary chain in the six years leading up to legalization** **Don and Carol have since made the transition to legalization, with one retail location already licensed in Sechelt, BC, and another about to open in Vancouver.** **They discussed the differences between a legacy and a legal shop and the challenges they face today.** ** **[You can watch the replay of The State of Craft episode 17 here.](https://certicraft.com/learn/state-of-craft-podcast/weeds-gift-and-glass) For those who don’t have time to watch the full episode, here is a summary of some of the points discussed. - Legalization has been a great thing in many ways - less money on police and prison, medicine for seniors and those needing it, and it has removed much of the stigma. - Legal cannabis is more expensive, but the trade-off is that there is no longer fear around it. - It takes a long time to open a licensed store - about two years. - It’s hard to compete with BC cannabis stores. They have access to tax resources, while private business must use their own finances, which isn’t fair. - Legal cannabis has led to a lot of waste with over-packaging. - Lots of flower needs to be returned. Mold, insects, and mildew are among the products' problems. - Consumers often think that because it’s legal, it’s safe. And many producers don’t believe it when they’re told there’s a problem with their products. - More testing should be done on products to ensure they are safe. - Government should not be involved in the cannabis industry and should not be part of distribution. - It’s hard still to compete with the black market since they don’t have taxes and fees. *This article was written in tandem with Mike F.* ### Ready to discover how much time, money, and stress CertiCraft can save you and your team? [ Book a Demo ](https://certicraft.com/contact-us) ## Related articles Here are some other posts with the Cannabis Policy tag. ![WATCH: Easy Cannabis Distribution with CertiCraft Compliance Software](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Distribution%20Feature%20Iamge.jpg?width=470&height=260&name=Distribution%20Feature%20Iamge.jpg) ###### WATCH: Easy Cannabis Distribution with CertiCraft Compliance Software Watch how CertiCraft simplifies cannabis distribution and sales. Our all-in-one solution streamlines your operations, saves time, and reduces errors. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-compliance/watch-all-in-one-cannabis-distribution-with-certicraft-compliance-software) ![Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png?width=470&height=260&name=government%20overtaxation%20farmers%20screwed.png) ###### Canada’s Cannabis Crisis: Over-Taxation is Strangling Licensed Producers Why are cannabis taxes in Canada so burdensome for businesses? Here's how cannabis excise tax and other fees are drowning the industry. It’s time to rethink cannabis tax. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/canadas-cannabis-taxation-crisis-how-over-taxation-is-hurting-cannabis-businesses) ![Why They Switched (Back) to CertiCraft #10: Enigma Farms](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/clienttestimonial_enigma_rough2-1.png?width=470&height=260&name=clienttestimonial_enigma_rough2-1.png) ###### Why They Switched (Back) to CertiCraft #10: Enigma Farms Hear why Enigma Farms switched back to CertiCraft Seed to Sale Software after trying out a competitor. Spoiler: CertiCraft is easy to learn & easy to love. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/case-studies/why-they-switched-to-certicraft-10-enigma-farms) ![Why They Switched to CertiCraft #9: Sathiananthan Farms](https://certicraft.com/hs-fs/hubfs/clienttestimonial_sam_rough2.png?width=470&height=260&name=clienttestimonial_sam_rough2.png) ###### Why They Switched to CertiCraft #9: Sathiananthan Farms Read how CertiCraft Seed to Sale Compliance Software helped cultivator Sathiananthan Farms from day 1, with responsive customer service and easy reporting. [ Open Article ](https://certicraft.com/learn/case-studies/why-they-switched-to-certicraft-testimonial-sathiananthan-farms) [ View all posts ](https://certicraft.com/learn) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Sami Majadla", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/author/sami-majadla" }, "dateModified" : "2024-04-06T01:01:44.728Z", "datePublished" : "2023-06-08T16:00:10.000Z", "headline" : "Weeds Gift & Glass - A Transition to Legalization", "image" : [ "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/State%20of%20Craft%20Ep%2017%20WEEDS%20Gift%20&%20Glass.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/weeds-gift-and-glass-transition-to-legalization", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://certicraft.com/hubfs/CertiCraft_Logo_Main.png" }, "name" : "CertiCraft" } } ```