Licensed and prospective cannabis retailers in Newfoundland identified restrictive advertising rules, high taxation, and supply chain problems as major barriers—while recognizing their role in public health goals.
Cannabis regulators, policy researchers studying legalization implementation, prospective cannabis business operators, and public health officials.
What the researchers found
Canada's cannabis legalization has produced different retail environments across provinces, and this qualitative study captures the perspective of the people running (or trying to run) the shops in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The researchers interviewed 9 licensed and 9 prospective cannabis retailers—a sample that captures both the experience of operating within the system and the perspective of those trying to enter it.
Licensed retailers described a tension between business viability and regulatory compliance. Restrictive advertising rules, high taxation, and supply chain inefficiencies were cited as constraints on profitability and growth. These aren't just business complaints—they have public health implications. If legal retailers can't compete on price and accessibility with the illicit market, the public health goals of legalization (safer products, age verification, reduced criminal market) are undermined.
At the same time, retailers recognized their potential role in advancing public health objectives. They're the point of contact with consumers and can provide education about responsible use, dosing, and product differences. This dual identity—business operators and de facto public health actors—creates unique tensions.
Newfoundland's framework includes centralized distribution, licensing requirements, and pricing regulations, making it more restrictive than some other provinces. The retailers' perspectives reveal how these well-intentioned regulations can create unintended barriers.
Why it matters
RTHC-00175's scoping review catalogued what we should be monitoring about legalization. This study captures the ground-level reality of one key component: retail. If the retail system doesn't work—if legal shops can't compete with the black market, if regulations are too restrictive to be practical, if retailers aren't equipped to serve public health goals—then legalization's potential benefits remain theoretical.
The numbers in context
18 interviews (9 licensed + 9 prospective retailers). Newfoundland and Labrador's centralized distribution model. Key challenges: advertising restrictions, taxation, supply chain. Key opportunities: consumer education, public health role.
How the study worked
Qualitative study with semi-structured virtual interviews. 9 licensed + 9 prospective cannabis retailers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Thematic analysis using Wright-Brown et al.'s Comprehensive Cannabis Retail Framework and Ritchie and Spencer's framework analysis. Both deductive and inductive coding.
Who was studied
N=18 cannabis retailers (9 licensed, 9 prospective) in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
What this study cannot tell us
Small sample from one Canadian province—Newfoundland's framework is particularly restrictive and may not represent other jurisdictions. Self-selected participants may not represent all retailer perspectives. Qualitative data can't quantify the impact of specific regulations on market outcomes. Retailer perspectives are inherently biased toward business concerns, which may conflict with public health priorities.
How to read the evidence
Qualitative study with a small sample from one province—provides rich contextual understanding but limited generalizability.
When this study was published
Published in 2025, reflecting several years of post-legalization retail experience in Canada.
The bigger picture
This provides the supply-side perspective that complements RTHC-00175's monitoring framework and RTHC-00181's review of legalization's mental health effects. The retailer perspective also connects to RTHC-00183's Ireland HHC story—when legal cannabis markets have barriers (high prices, limited access), consumers may turn to unregulated alternatives with worse safety profiles.
Replication
Not stated in abstract.
Funding
Not reported in abstract.
Conflicts of interest
Not reported in abstract.
Questions still open
- What's the right balance between regulation (for public health) and accessibility (for market competitiveness)? Have other provinces found more successful models? Do strict advertising restrictions actually protect public health, or do they just push consumers to the illicit market?
Read the original research
Insights from the ground: A qualitative investigation of retailer perspectives of the challenges and opportunities in the legal cannabis market in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
PloS one, 20(10), e0333706
PloS One is a reputable, peer-reviewed open-access journal known for publishing multidisciplinary research.
Citation
Wright-Brown, Tanisha; Gaid, Dina; Najafizada, Maisam; Schwartz, Elizabeth; Cooper, Thomas; Newell, William; Bishop, Lisa; Donnan, Jennifer. (2025). Insights from the ground: A qualitative investigation of retailer perspectives of the challenges and opportunities in the legal cannabis market in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.. PloS one, 20(10), e0333706. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0333706