HomeDispensariesMarijuana Dispensaries in Canada: Where To Find & Buy

Marijuana Dispensaries in Canada: Where To Find & Buy

Are you waiting for the October 17th cannabis legalization to purchase marijuana in Canada? You don’t need to, cannabis from various marijuana dispensaries in Canada has been delivered all over Country safely and reliably for the past 10 years. Why buy marijuana from Canada, well there are several reasons:

  • Years of experience growing and selling cannabis
  • High-quality standards than any other country for production
  • Better prices and selection
  • Access to a variety of edibles, oils, and tinctures
  • No need for a medical card
  • No need to buy from government-sanctioned restricted growers
  • Privacy

As Federal cannabis legalization quickly approaches there are many questions at the forefront of Canadian’s minds. One of the most important being: where to buy the newly legalized Marijuana in Canada and how to choose the correct dispensary? This will vary depending on which Province/Territory you live in.

Each Province and territory have the ability to set their own rules. These rules define how marijuana can be sold, where stores may be located and how the stores must be operated.

Provincial legislation can vary on how much you can carry, what the legal age limit is, where you can use and how much you can grow.

Check out the restrictions of where you are buying and consuming the cannabis to be sure you are adhering to their specific regulations.

Why is it important?

Right now, it is easy to Google for an online cannabis retailer. You will find a slew of websites where you can search products, select and pay for cannabis and have it delivered to your home. The problem with this is that it is not legal, and it still won’t be even after October 17.

Cannabis Legalization in Canada By Province

Ontario

The Government of Ontario has been diligently at work trying to come up with answers to these tough questions. When the Liberal Government was still in power, the solution was to have Government “bricks and mortar” stores that would be similar to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

The elected Conservative Government is taking a different approach, and this is the one that ultimately matters. They have kept the online portion of the Liberal’s platform – Government owned and operated marijuana dispensaries that are solely online entities – but eliminated the “bricks and mortar” portion of it, for now.

Their vision is a hybrid system where private businesses will own and operate the “bricks and mortar” segment.

This proposed system would come into effect in two phases: the online Government portion will be operational on the Federal Government’s legalization date (Oct. 17, 2018) while the proposed private portion with the retail stores would come into effect April 2019.

The hybrid system will offer consumers high-quality Cannabis products without sacrificing price or convenience.

The private business platform will keep the cost down which is critical to achieving one of the Government’s core goals: reduce the Cannabis black market that currently funds criminal activities.

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) website will open on October 17, 2018, but the site is still currently under wraps.

British Columbia

British Columbia has been the laxest with cannabis usage, and illegal dispensaries have been among the shops lining busy city streets for years.

From a local’s perspective, the policing of users of cannabis has been so low in recent years that some people didn’t even know it wasn’t legal until now

Unfortunately, the marijuana dispensaries that are open are still illegal. The Cannabis Distribution Act indicates the Liquor Distribution Branch will be the wholesale distributor of non-medical cannabis and will run all of the provincial cannabis retail stores. This means that unless it is an LDB store, it’s not legal.

Even come legalization day you won’t be able to access the same variety or secondary cannabis products and that’s why mail order from BC is so important. We’ve reviewed the best online dispensaries in Canada and rated the best options for you.

If you purchase cannabis from the black market you have no choice over what strain you purchase or if any growing standards were used in the production of that cannabis. Did they use pesticides, is the THC potent, so many questions you can’t answer when you buy weed this way?

If you aren’t living in British Columbia, you’ll have to purchase cannabis from one of the government-sanctioned “super growers” who is producing massive crops of marijuana that are grown industrially and with chemicals

You’ll have a lack of strain options with these corporate weed sellers usually focused on 5 to 10 strains only.

This is where MOM’s step in.

MOM companies have been filling in that market space for almost 10 years. If you don’t know what a MOM is, it stands for “Mail Order Marijuana.” These companies have been selling high-quality BC bud at lower prices and with more selection before.

Alberta

Alberta has both online and retail stores available to purchase marijuana. Albertans can go to www.albertacannabis.org for their online needs. All non-government run online sites are illegal.

They can also go to one of the 17 retail stores. Six are in Edmonton, three are in Medicine Hat, and two are in Calgary. Additional stores are in Fort Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Devon, and St. Albert,

Saskatchewan

51 Cannabis retail permits that have been selected and announced. They include four shops in Saskatoon, six in Regina, two in Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, and others scattered throughout the province. Store names are not yet listed.

Cannabis sales are controlled by the SLGA, and the retailers had to submit an application for permits. For online purchases, the SLGA states, “All sales and any related deliveries must be made only to Saskatchewan residents located in Saskatchewan.”

Manitoba

Manitoba has adopted a hybrid private/ public model for non-medical cannabis. The province Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) is responsible for acquiring all marijuana for retail sale, and only cannabis sourced through them may be sold. Licensed sellers include Delta 9 Cannabis, Canopy Growth Corp.; National Access Cannabis, and Avana Canada. In Manitoba, you are unable to grow your cannabis at home under Manitoba’s legislation.

Quebec

SQDC is the authorized regulator and seller for cannabis in Quebec. Twenty retail stores will open including four in Montreal, two in Quebec City, as well as shops in Mirabel, Drummondville, Joliette, Mascouche and others. Twelve shops will begin in October with more to follow. You can find specific addresses at www.infocannabis.saq.com. An online store will also available although it has not yet launched.

Newfoundland

You can buy Cannabis in Newfoundland through licensed retailers that have been approved through NLC. However, stores are not yet open and available for purchase. Products are available online at Cannabis NL, and this is where you can find the updates regarding retail stores.

Prince Edward Island

PEI Cannabis Management Corporation is the regulator and oversees the four retail locations as well as the e-commerce platform. They are located in Charlottetown, Summerside, Montague, West Prince Region.

Nova Scotia

Twelve locations have been selected to be licensed retail stores with 70-75 products available. Locations can be found in Amherst, Dartmouth, Halifax, Lower Sackville, New Glasgow, Sydney River, Truro, and Yarmouth. The NSLC regulates cannabis sales and online sales are only available through them.

New Brunswick

The only legal place to purchase recreational Cannabis is through CannabisNB which is a subsidiary of New Brunswick Liquor Corporation (NABL). Marijuana is available online through CannabisNB.

Northwest Territories

NTLCC is the only legal place to purchase recreational Cannabis products. This can be purchased online or through some liquor stores in locations not yet named.

Nunavut

Nunavut liquor and Cannabis Commission will sell online and by phone – in physical stores and through an agent. However, there are not currently any licensed retailers set up in Nunavut.

Yukon

Yukon Liquor Corporations temporary retail store will be at 120 B Industrial Road. An online store is in the process of being created at www.cannabisyukon.org. No other sites will deliver to a Yukon address. Private retail stores may open after legalization, but currently, there is only one open site, listed above.

How to choose a dispensary in Canada?

Right now there are few legal marijuana dispensaries in Canada available to the public. As that list grows, there are a few things to consider when choosing a dispensary.

  1. Is it a licensed and authorized shop?
  2. Does it have the products that you want to purchase? (Oil, seeds, buds, etc.)
  3. How knowledgeable are the staff?
  4. Find a dispensary that has people who know their product well and can help you make the right decision on which strain/strength is proper for you.

What can you buy?

For the most part, products include the “dry flower” or buds and fresh cannabis. Some stores will carry cannabis oil and seeds so that you can grow your own plants at home.

Cannabis accessories are also available both online and in retail stores. Edibles are not currently available for purchase.

Why shop cannabis online?

Cannabis grown in British Columbia is the best quality weed available. They have instituted higher requirement standards for growing as compared to other province or territory.

People who live outside of British Columbia are what I like to call the new weed wild west.

The government was kind enough to legalize cannabis. But, at the same time set up a system that makes it possible for only large corporations to afford to set up grow ups. With corporations comes the bottom line and that’s making money.

There isn’t a budget in large-scale cannabis growers to tend to each plant, and that’s where the trouble starts.

Large-scale cannabis grows have many issues such as pests, molds, and fungus that can affect the production of cannabis plants. These sorts of problems are usually caught early when plants are tended to by hand. But at scale, many of these issues go unnoticed and spread throughout the crop. Enter government-sanctioned use of pesticides on your weed.

Gross right?

Well to safely sell fungus or mold-contaminated weed to the public, licensed growers have taken to irradiating your weed to kill the mold and fungus that would be harmful to consumers.

Are you freaked out by that?

You don’t want any part of corporate/government weed?

Come the 17th of October everyone will rejoice and go online to a government-sanctioned grower and buy their substandard, expensive, poison weed and be none the wiser, and that’s what corporations are counting on.

You don’t need to settle for this corporate scheme to poison you with expensive but cheaply produced cannabis. Simply, buy BC bud and avoid all the problems associated with new cannabis producers.

You can sign up with a MOM (mail order marijuana) company right now, send in a picture of your photo ID proving you are 19 and above and have top quality, cheaper cannabis at your door in just three days.

Marijuana for Medical Purposes

  • How to Qualify?

To qualify for medical marijuana, you must be eligible under regulations imposed by the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). The user and the physician must agree to cannabis for medical uses.

You must submit an application form with medical documentation outlining your diagnosis and the amount of daily marijuana you can consume.

  • How to Access Cannabis?

Those who use cannabis for medical purposes are now able to access cannabis supply in three ways. As previously, they can register with licensed producers to have quality-controlled marijuana produced for them.

New with the new legislation, they can also register with Health Canada to produce their own cannabis or designate someone else (like a friend or family member) to produce it for them. The possession limit remains the same no matter how the cannabis accessed.

The government of Canada has a list of 120 licensed producers of medical cannabis available on their website. There are producers from almost every Provence and includes the name, license type, location and contact information for each producer.

This allows you to be able to read up on the companies and choose one that you think suits your needs best.

The growers on the list vary from the well-known growers like Canopy Growth Corp., Aphria Inc. and Aurora Cannabis to smaller producers that are lesser known to the cannabis industry.

Final Thoughts on Where To Find Marijuana Dispensaries in Canada?

Cannabis retail dispensaries are an evolving process across Canada. Provinces and Territories may not yet have any retail stores, and may not for years to come.

Online sales should be open to all Canadians come October 17 but some websites are still not up and running.

As with many government projects, things can move slowly and behind schedule. Be patient, do your research and keep up to date with changes in your local area.

asad.khan122002@gmail.com'
Asad Khan
Asad Khan is an independent health journalist who specializes in food policy and global health. He is a senior fellow for investigative health journalism at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

- Advertisement -

Local News, Tips & Tricks

- Advertisement -