British Columbia’s liquor and cannabis dual ID requirements could soon be conflated to one
BC is the last remaining province requiring two pieces of identification for liquor and cannabis sales. ID requirements were doubled in 2002 to help the province deal with issues regarding counterfeit IDs and liquor sales to minors.
Nearly 24 years later, the conversation is back on the table. According to a stakeholder letter sent out on behalf of the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch, investigations are underway to potentially revert to only one –piece of ID.
The letter stated that dropping the requirements would be consistent with the rest of the country and that two pieces may no longer be necessary with the many strategies in place preventing liquor and cannabis sales to minors.
In a follow up email, the Ministry of Public Safety said that because technology has allowed government-issued IDs to advance significantly over the last 20 years the issue of counterfeits has lessened, prompting the regulation amendment to go before cabinet.
Regardless of whether the changes are adopted, liquor and cannabis licensees are still within their right to request a secondary piece if they have any doubt that someone is over 19, stated the email.
No decision has been made yet, and the ministry did not disclose a timeline on when it would be made.
