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Plans cancelled for first-ever airport cannabis store

Published on December 22, 2022 by oz. staff

Photo: Contributed

It was going to be the world’s first ever cannabis store inside an airport, but Cloudbreak Cannabis won’t even get off the ground.

The store was supposed to open in 2023.

However, they announced this week they won’t be signing a lease with the Prince George Airport or beginning construction. They blamed changing market conditions.

“We had planned to announce the start of construction in the airport this fall, and are both surprised and disappointed at the change in plans,” says Prince George Airport Authority’s CEO Gordon Duke.

“We’ve worked closely with our airport partners and the owners of Cloudbreak Cannabis since they approached us with their business plan three years ago. The owners had met all of their regulatory requirements and were set to begin construction this year.”

The store was announced a year ago by founders Reed Horton and Owen Ritz—classmates and teammates at Dartmouth College. They said at the time they dreaded the stress of flying and wanted to promote cannabis as a way to improve the modern travel experience.

Duke says airport officials are disappointed.

“The Prince George Airport has been a leader in airport innovation since 1945, and we were excited about being the first airport terminal in the world to welcome a cannabis retail tenant,” he says.

“We expect that other airports will consider cannabis retail in the future.”