Sask. Weed Pool: Independent pot retailers form co-op to compete with big players

Prairie Cannabis will be among one of nine independent cannabis retailers joining the cooperative.

PRINCE ALBERT -- Saskatchewan-based cannabis retailers and entrepreneurs are banding together to push back against multi-national cannabis companies.

About 23 per cent of the 51 cannabis licenses in Saskatchewan belong to corporations and publically traded franchises.

The remaining license holders are private entrepreneurs who say they've found it difficult to get small quantities of products at reasonable prices.

This prompted nine independent cannabis retailers to band together to form the Saskatchewan Independent Cannabis Retailers network. The group is also creating a co-operative buying group.

"We are small players in the industry and … banding together will give us more exposure in the market and I think that will make us more appealing to suppliers as well," said Jim Southam, who owns Prairie Cannabis and is a founding member of the Weed Pool Cannabis Cooperative.

“They’d rather deal in thousands of kilograms rather than tens of kilograms.”

The co-operative says it will help Saskatchewan cannabis retailers provide a better selection of products and keep prices lower for consumers.

The group plans on holding its first annual general meeting in late October to finalize its membership and determine how its board will be structured.