A brief look at provincial approaches to recreational marijuana sales
Saskatchewan is the latest province to outline part of its plan for the sale of cannabis which is to be legalized across the country July 1. Here is a look at other provincial and territorial plans to date:
— British Columbia has set the age of consumption at 19. Retail sales to be allowed through public and private stores. Retailers will have to get their supply of cannabis from the government’s wholesale distribution system used for alcohol.
— Alberta plans to control the online sale of pot, but will leave over-the-counter sales to private operators. Details on how sales would work have yet to be determined. Private pot stores would have to be physically separate from stores selling alcohol, tobacco or pharmaceuticals, but how that would be legally defined is also undetermined. Stores would not be allowed to sell anything but cannabis and cannabis-related products.
— Saskatchewan says the sale of legal cannabis is to be handled by the private sector with about 60 retail permits awarded to private operators in as many as 40 municipalities and First Nations communities. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority is to regulate cannabis sales and municipalities to have the option to ban sales.