October 17, 2019, marks the first anniversary of the legalization of cannabis federally in Canada, and the date when the second phase of products — edibles, extracts, topicals and some other alternative cannabis products also become legal. 

Each province and territory were handed the reins for rolling out legalization, and the results in terms of access to legal marijuana are very different for Canadians depending on where they live. This has also had an impact on consumption patterns.

Alberta, which has the highest number of retail locations — 306 — is also one of the highest users of cannabis. But it isn’t the highest. That distinction goes to Nova Scotia, which has only 12 retail locations, but more on the way. Quebec stands alone in not embracing the incoming legalization of edibles, banning anything deemed attractive to children. Manitoba has put its First Nations first, prioritizing retail stores to First Nations owners.

From the west coast to the east, and the territories, a snapshot of where we stand one year post-legalization:

British Columbia

Number of stores open: 7 government stores and 85 licensed private retailers 

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or at an official BC Cannabis Store

Alberta

Number of stores open: 306

Legal age: 18

What’s legal:  Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online at Albertacannabis.org or at a licensed third-party retailer

Saskatchewan

Number of stores open: 39 

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or at a licensed third-party retailer

Manitoba

Number of stores open: 26, but with more coming.  The province has prioritized opportunities for First Nations, and currently four legal cannabis retail locations are owned by First Nations.

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Manitobans are not permitted to grow or own cannabis plants. 

Where to buy: Online or at a licensed third-party retailer

Ontario

Number of stores open: 25right now, but in July the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced that 50 more stores are going to be permitted across the province — eight of those specifically for First Nations reserves. 

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: The official Ontario Cannabis Store website or at an authorized third-party retailer.

Quebec

Number of stores open: 21, but the SQDC announced it will have 43 stores open by March 2020.

Legal age: Currently 18, but the provincial government is planning to raise the legal age to 21 

What’s legal: Each individual can possess up to 150 grams of dried cannabis. Prohibited to possess a cannabis plant. Cannabis edibles will not be permitted in Quebec when it rolls out to the rest of the country in mid-December, but the province will allow some cannabis oils and butters. 

Where to buy: Online or in-store at an SQDC location

New Brunswick 

Number of stores open: 20

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or at an official Cannabis NB location

Nova Scotia

Number of stores open: 12 but more are expected 

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or in-store at an NSLC Cannabis location. To buy online, residents must first visit a NSLC Cannabis store to have their age verified and receive an online access code.

PEI

Number of stores open: 4

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or in-store at a PEI Cannabis Corp location.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Number of stores open: 25

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online on the Cannabis NL website or at a licensed third-party retailer

Nunavut

Number of stores open: 0

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be authorized by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online through two retailers, Tweed and Vertical Cannabis

NWT

Number of stores open: 5

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online at the NTLCC website or at a licensed vendor

Yukon

Number of stores open: 4

Legal age: 19

What’s legal: Buy up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent. Can own and grow up to four cannabis plants per residence. Edibles, extracts, and topicals will be available by mid-December.

Where to buy: Online or at a licensed third-party retailer

How many Canadians use cannabis?

According to StatsCan in May, 18 per cent of Canadians 15 years and older said they used cannabis in the last three months. Comparatively, that number was only 14 per cent the year before.

Gender difference?

According to StatsCan in August, men were more likely than women to purchase cannabis (21% compared with 12%) 

Men are also most likely to use it regularly (8% of male cannabis users use daily compared with 4% of female cannabis users) 

Sales

Cannabis sales reached $104.5 million in July 2019, according to StatsCan.

Province/territory split?

Nova Scotia is the province that uses the most cannabis, at 24 per cent, with Alberta coming in second at 20 per cent. Quebec ranks last for cannabis use, at only 10 per cent. 

The territories’ capitals rank high for cannabis use as well, with Iqaluit ranking first at 32 per cent, then Yellowknife at 30 per cent, and Whitehorse at 24 per cent. 

The party is winding down

According to a survey from Dalhousie University, 50.1 per cent of Canadians support the federal government’s decision to legalize cannabis, compared with 68.6 per cent in 2017. The amount of people who are indifferent about legalization was 20 per cent, up from seven per cent in 2017.

Sylvain Charlebois, the Dalhousie professor who led the survey, told CTV News that the government’s decision to reduce the excitement around legalization caused the current slump in support.

“A few years ago, the Liberals invited Canada to a huge party with balloons, great music, great fun, only to end up in a very boring room with classical music,” Charlebois told CTV News.