Tied house connections to federal producers

A “tied house” is a connection between a non-medical cannabis retail store licensee and a federal producer. The prohibited connections include those that are

• Personal
• Financial
• Business related

The general manager cannot issue a cannabis retail store licence to a

• Federal producer or their agent
• Person who has agreed to sell a federal producer’s cannabis to the exclusion of another federal producer’s cannabis
• Person who is so associated, connected or financially interested in a federal producer or their agent that the person is likely to promote the sale of the federal producer’s cannabis

If an applicant or licensee has an association, financial interest, or other connection with a federal producer,

• The general manager will decide if a non-medical cannabis retail store applicant or licensee is likely to promote a federal producer’s non-medical cannabis.

When making this decision, the general manager will consider

• Any financial connections between the applicant or licensee and the federal producer
• Whether a licensee’s immediate family member has any type of interest in a licensed producer
• Any other association, connection or financial interest between the non-medical cannabis retail store licensee and the federal producer
• Any other relevant information

Based on the outcome of this review, the general manager can issue a licence with an additional term and condition preventing the licensee from selling the associated federal producer's cannabis.

The Cannabis Retail Store Terms and Conditions Handbook (PDF, 328 KB) and the Cannabis Marketing Terms and Conditions Handbook (PDF, 273KB) outline additional details about tied house connections.

Learn more about the role of the general manager.