---
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.
---

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# [Weeds Gift & Glass - A Transition to Legalization](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/weeds-gift-and-glass-transition-to-legalization)

 Written by [Sami Majadla](https://certicraft.com/learn/author/sami-majadla) | Jun 8, 2023 4:00:10 PM

**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.*

[View full post](https://certicraft.com/learn/cannabis-policy/weeds-gift-and-glass-transition-to-legalization)

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