Buying Cannabis: Province by Province

Hey folks! Welcome back to another blog post where I attempt to educate you andinevitably end up learning a thing or two myself. Just like that time I tried to teach my son howto throw a knuckle ball and learned that apparently doing that now triggers a chain reactionthat causes my arm to roll right out of its socket, except hopefully this blog post will be less embarssing for me.This week we’re going to be talking about the nuances of purchasing cannabis as itapplies to each of the provinces and territories in the Great White North. Every province has abit of a different take on how they’ve rolled out regulated cannabis, so it’s important to knowwhat you’re getting into if you’re ever travelling out of province.

Ontario

We’ll start with an easy one. Here in Ontario, all cannabis is brought to the marketthrough a single wholesaler: The Ontario Cannabis Store or OCS. The cannabis is grown byprivately owned licensed producers who then sell it using the OCS and licensed retailers (likeus) to you, the weed loving customer. This was not always the plan, as originally the OCS wasgoing to roll out a series of government owned retail locations. This plan was eventuallyscrapped when the government of Ontario changed hands in favour of rolling out retail licensesfor privately owned storefronts. You have to be over the age of 19 to purchase cannabis in aretail location.

Quebec

Next up, our Francophone buddies to the east! All cannabis sold in Quebec is soldthrough the Societe Quebecois du Cannabis otherwise known as the SQDC. This means that anystores you go into in Quebec are going to be government owned and operated. There are also aslew of additional restrictions preventing the sales of certain edibles like candies and chocolatesand other cannabis products. Also, in order to purchase cannabis in Quebec one has to be 21years of age or older. So, there’s a pretty restrictive situation going on over there compared tothe rest of Canada.

Nova Scotia

In Nova Scotia the cannabis sale situation is similar to Quebec in the sense that allcannabis is sold through a government entity, in this case the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation or NSLC. The legal purchasing age is 19, like the majority of Canada.

New Brunswick

In keeping with the trend of government managed stores, New Brunswick’s cannabis sales are all made through the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation or NBLC. They operate acouple dozen stores across the province and the legal age to purchase the green stuff is 19.

Newfoundland & Labrador

Unlike their immediate neighbors, all retail cannabis sales in Newfoundland & Labradorare handled by private retailers, while distribution is handled by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation. So, pretty similar to what we’ve got going on in Ontario, just on amuch smaller scale due to their substantially smaller population size. Once again, 19 is the age one must be to procure yourself some sticky icky in this province.

Prince Edward Island

The lovely PEI features a very small number of cannabis stores that operate on thegovernment owned store model, with a whopping 4 stores serving the entire province. Youmust be…you guessed it, over the age of 19 to enjoy some ganja on the island. Fun fact, the firstfew months of legalization PEI topped per-capita spending on cannabis nationwide. ThoseIslanders love weed.

Manitoba

Let’s shift things into a westerly direction and take a look at Manitoba. Retails cannabissales are through privately owned, government licensed retailers (much like here), who can sellto anyone aged 19 or older. The biggest difference between our laws and Manitoba is that onecannot grow their own cannabis at home in Manitoba, thus making retail cannabis the onlyavailable option for procuring legal cannabis.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is rocking a setup that is again similar to the retail sales situation we havein Ontario, where private retailers sell cannabis purchased through a government ownedwholesaler, in this case the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority. I like to imagine that Hank from Corner Gas is running a dispensary in Dog River. It just feels right. Again, make sureyou’re over 19 before trying to buy some mary jane here.

Alberta

On to Alberta, where cannabis sales are again being facilitated by the government whilebeing carried out by private retailers who sell to those aged 19 years or older. Online sales areonly allowed through the government owned and operated wholesaler website.

British Columbia

British Columbia, the Canadian promised land of Ganja, is using the same method ofcannabis retail sales as Alberta and Ontario, utilizing a government run wholesaler and privatelyowned retail stores to get weed into BC stoners hands who happen to be 19 years of age orolder. Since a ton of the growers of Canadian cannabis hail from BC, they tend to be on thecutting edge of cannabis law reform.

Yukon Territories

Up in the Yukon, the cannabis situation is…well sparse. However, that’s appropriategiven that the population density in that part of Canada is incredibly low. As of my latest check,they’ve started to put forth retail licenses and there are now six privately owned retail storesserving the Yukon. You must be 19 years of age or older to purchase cannabis in the Yukon.

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories have followed the trend set by most of Canada and set uptheir Liquor and Cannabis Commissions to act as the wholesaler while private retailers set upshop to do the sales. There are only a handful of stores, with limited availability when it comesto brand options. One must once again be 19 years of age or older to purchase cannabis legallyin this territory.

Nunavut

Finally, that brings us to Nunavut. Nunavut has a population of around forty-thousandpeople, which is like if they gave everyone in Northumberland two million square kilometers tolive in. So, in terms of population density, they don’t have much. As such, there is literally onestore servicing the entire territory. Like with the Northwest Territories, there are limitedoptions for the products you can get up there, making for a less diverse selection of weed thanwhat we southerners are used to. Again, be 19 or get no green.And that’s that! I’m 82 percent sure I haven’t forgotten any provinces or territories, thusmaking my grade 3 teacher proud. So, that’s the present situation when it comes to purchasingcannabis in Canada based on the different provinces you’re in. Just remember that availabilityof certain products can vary depending on the laws of each province and the supply linesavailable.