Nova Scotia RCMP report there has been an increase in intoxicated driving events since federal cannabis legalization came into force in October 2018.

There are currently approximately five to 10 drug-driving arrests monthly across the Atlantic province, noted RCMP provincial drug recognition expert, Constable Chad Morrison. The numbers constitute “maybe a 30 to 40 per cent increase in terms of the numbers of arrests and the number of drug evaluations that we’ve been conducting,” Morrison told CBC News.

Shopping for legal weed in Nova Scotia is about to get a little more convenient for cannabis-loving Maritimers.

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp., the province’s sole licensed cannabis retailer, has announced that more locations will start selling cannabis, which will more than double the number of legal retailers available to Nova Scotians, CBC reports.

The new moves are the province’s latest effort to “address geographical gaps” and better compete with illicit sellers, who currently dominate Nova Scotia cannabis sales.

Finance and Treasury Board Minister Karen Casey announced the decision on Friday.

A researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax is looking at how cannabis use can affect brain function in young adults.

Dr. Philip Tibbo, a professor of psychiatry, is conducting the study with researchers at Western University in London, Ont. It involves 180 people in both provinces between 18-35 who use cannabis to varying degrees.

One group taking part in the study is affected by some form of psychosis, such as schizophrenia, while the other group is unaffected by an illness. 

Tibbo said daily cannabis use, or even in some cases occasional use, has been shown to negatively impact early gains made by people diagnosed with psychosis.

In the last week of January, a month after edibles arrived at the NSLC, the Clyde Street store was mostly bare of them. No chocolates, no gummies. The cases of THC-infused beverages were empty. There were three flavours of CBD-infused tea bags from Everie (from High Park) in stock, as well as a number of vape cartridges, including one from Reef (from Nova Scotia's Aqualitas). But that was about it.

That should change sooner rather than later, however.

In October 2018, just after the first round of cannabis legalization, Canadian cannabis companies immediately began working on what they knew was coming next: Cannabis 2.0, or, edibles.

Sales of cannabis-infused edibles have been slow to start at Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC), but that’s mostly thanks to a lack of supply as opposed to a lack of interest, according to the provincial finance minister.

The NLSC received its first shipment of the second-wave cannabis products in late December, shortly after they became legal for retail sale and before many other provinces. Despite their prompt arrival on the scene, however, the products haven’t exactly been the pot of gold that many expected for the Crown corporation.

Nova Scotians can finally buy edibles and other cannabis 2.0 products online.

On January 6, the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) began sales on its website — two weeks after the province introduced edibles to its 12 stores on December 23.

“The gummies and chocolate squares are by far our best-selling products,” said NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware. “We have already had to re-stock twice and we’re expecting a third shipment by the end of the week.”

Here’s what’s in store.

The menu

Some products currently available online through the NSLC’s website or in-store are chocolate squares, soft chews and vape pens.

Other products available for sale are cannabis infused teas and mints.

Cannabis edibles are now available through the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) website.

NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware said online sales began today, Monday, Jan. 6.

"It's very limited as to what we have available, but it does list all the products that we expect to be carrying over time," she told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show.

The NSLC was allowed to start issuing purchase orders on December 16 and it had a limited supply of products by Dec. 23 at its 12 cannabis stores across the province.

"The most popular items have been the chocolates and the soft chews," Ware explained. "They had pretty much been sold out across the province by the time we closed Christmas Eve."

More than a week after cannabis products became available for purchase across Canada, Nova Scotia cannabis retailers are still completely sold out, but expect a restock soon.

Edible cannabis products arrived in a dozen NSLC locations across the province on Dec. 23 and had completely sold out by Christmas Eve, but stores should be receiving more products Friday.

"By Friday all of our cannabis stores will have a second delivery of soft chews and chocolate available to our customers," said NSLC Cannabis spokeswoman Beverly Ware. "It is a limited delivery and that's expected to be the case for a while."

Nova Scotia became one of the first provinces to offer the products, which became legal for stores to order on Dec. 17.

Nova Scotians are loving their second-wave cannabis products — so much so that they’re getting nearly impossible to find at licensed stores across the province.

Beverly Ware, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC), told NEWS 97.5 on Friday that edibles, in particular, are flying off the shelves. The demand for the recently available products has been high, to the point where “almost all” of the Crown corporation’s store locations have treats like cannabis-infused chocolates and gummies in short supply, Ware said.

Cannabis edibles are coming to Nova Scotia on Dec. 23 – or at least that's the plan.

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) says the full shipment of products has yet to arrive, so they're still sorting out what will be available in stores.

Stores have been remodeled and staff trained to make the way for edible cannabis, just in time for Christmas.

Twelve NSLC stores are ready to sell cannabis edibles extracts and vape products. One store in Halifax is a standalone facility, which means it does not sell alcohol -- just cannabis and cannabis accessories.

"There's more storage, there's more display space, and there's more space that's more accessible," said NSLC spokesperson Jennifer Gray.