A limited number of cannabis edibles is expected to be available at a dozen Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation stores across the province beginning two days before Christmas.

The Crown corporation's first orders to producers for the edibles was placed Monday, the first day possible. While edibles became legal in October, Health Canada required a 60-day review period for new products.

"We're hopeful that we'll have a very small offering in our stores on Dec. 23," said NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware.

There are currently 12 NSLC stores that sell cannabis in Nova Scotia. Edibles will also be available online starting Jan. 6.

Canadian licensed producer Zenabis has increased its market share in the New Brunswick cannabis market since launching Re-Up, a lower-cost brand of flower and pre-rolls.

The Atholville, N.B.-based company has produced data indicating a 38 percent market share of sales in Cannabis NB stores across the province for the period concluding in October 2019. The number indicates a spike in sales of the brand, which rang in at 20 percent this past July.

Zenabis credits its bump in sales to the Re-Up brand, which the company hopes will give it a competitive edge against the cheaper prices offered on the unlicensed market and incentivize consumers who source their cannabis from illicit distributors to consider purchasing from the legal market.

Canadian pharmacy giant Shoppers Drug Mart has expanded its online medical cannabis platform to Canada's East Coast.

As of today, residents of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island can go online on the company's website to make their purchase, which will then be mailed to them.

Residents who don't currently have the proper medical documentation authorizing the use of medical cannabis can get it by setting up a consultation online.

"There's access to telemedicine where a person can have an individual consultation with a physician who can determine whether cannabis is right for them," said Mike Boivin, a pharmacist consultant from Ontario who is a member of the Shoppers Drug Mart Advisory Board on Medical Cannabis.

If you have ever visited Nova Scotia, you would know about its rich history. It was ground zero for the largest man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. It supplies the city of Boston with a Christmas tree every year. And you’re never more than 60 kilometres from the sea. 

Here is something you won’t read in the history books: Nova Scotia is the birthplace of cannabis in Canada. 

It’s something few people would expect given how Nova Scotia’s identity is anchored to the ocean, but this long connection with cannabis dates back 400 years. When European settlers colonized Canada they would first arrive on the east coast. Many of those settlers brought skills and trades such as farming and fishing. One of those trades was horticulture.

Hungry for cannabis

According to the RCMP, a parent in Nova Scotia found a packet of cannabis edibles mixed in with their child’s Halloween candy.

On October 31, around 9:30 pm, the Kings District RCMP report responding to a call from a parent in Coldbrook, Nova Scotia, a town just over an hour’s drive from Halifax.

According to a release, the parent said to have found cannabis edibles in their child’s Halloween treats

“The package has a Halloween-themed label on the front and contains several jujube candies inside,” the RCMP wrote in the release. The parent reportedly was alerted by a sticker on the back of the package indicating that the candy contains THC — the psychoactive element in cannabis.

Be careful what you wish for, especially when placing an order for weed online. Returning it can be a challenge, with policies varying from province to province.

Here’s what the shipping and return policies look like across the country.

British Columbia 

Bought a product that’s defective, shipped in error or recalled? The BC Cannabis Stores will take them back, but returns must be initiated within 15 days of the purchase.

The east and west coasts are reaping some of the largest gains in Canadian retail cannabis sales according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.

B.C. sales nearly doubled from July 2019 to August 2019, leaping from $5.9 million in sales to $11.9 million.

On the other side of Canada, New Brunswick recorded a near 60 per cent gain in the same time period, earning $5.3 million in August 2019 compared to $3.3 million the month before. Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia also saw double-digit growth.