ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - Canada's cannabis industry is bracing for supply chain challenges after extreme weather in B.C. flooded some marijuana facilities and forced the evacuation of many communities hosting pot shops.
Jima Cannabis says it closed its Abbotsford location after floods began encroaching on the plaza where the store is located and buried a nearby highway under water earlier this week.
Jima Cannabis president Alex Read says those conditions and evacuation orders issued in Abbotsford could keep the store shut for days or weeks and will make it impossible to get any products delivered.
He worries cannabis retailers will have an even harder time grappling with the disruptions because stringent regulations mean deliveries can't be handled by just anyone.
Logan Dunn, the CEO of micro cultivator Dunn Cannabis, says the recovery time could be lengthy and costly because the disruptions come months after B.C. cannabis farmers faced extreme heat and wildfires and as the industry recovers from COVID-19 shutdowns.
His business is lucky to be located on higher ground, but he's heard of others whose facilities are underwater and thinks that could cause product shortages.