VIDEO: Cannabis retailers meet in Kelowna for three-day conference

BC's Cannabis sector contributes billions of dollars to the economy, but the stigma is still there.

That's just one of the reasons, retailers from around the province are gathered in Kelowna for a three-day summit.

Hundreds of people involved in the province's cannabis business are gathering at Kelowna's Hotel Eldorado this week.

"People would as us if we had a back door that they could come in,", said Alfred Schaefer, recalling when he first opened a cannabis shop in Smithers.

Schaefer is president of the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers, which is hosting the conference.

"The stigma is starting to go away and that's just a continually evolving process," he said.

Industry consultant, Ian Dawkins, says stigma remains an issue when dealing with the government.

"It's the worst place that stigma still lives," said Dawkins. "I've spoken to politicians on both the left and the right and the level of ignorance that people still express about cannabis and their reluctance to touch it as a political issue or even just as a business issue is astounding to me."

Dawkins points out that the industry still has no Minister of State for cannabis.

"I'm not asking you to be a cannabis user or even to like that it's being used," he argued. "I"m asking you, as a government official to make sensible decisions for the whole province."

Still, Schaefer sees things improving.

"Things like this, having these events and people seeing that we're community members, we're paying taxes, we're creating jobs," he explains, "I think people are starting to come around."

Schaefer also said it's nice to finally get together with industry colleagues after years of zoom meetings.

"It's not as good as seeing people and shaking their hands and maybe sharing a joint with them," he said.

The conference continues through Friday.