How to buy legal cannabis seeds in (almost) every province

Growing your own weed is a benefit of legalization, and most provinces allow Canadians to grow up to four plants per household. Growing your own is a great opportunity to understand the plant on a deeper level and save a lot of money.

And it all starts with a seed.

While most people know how and where to buy legal cannabis products, accessing legal cannabis seeds can often be a more difficult process (and virtually impossible in some places in Canada).

Three years later, access to legal seeds – like much of the rest of the cannabis market – depends entirely on where you live.

British Columbia

Is it legal to grow here? Yes

Are seeds available? Yes

Where can I buy? Seeds are available from both private retail outlets and provincially run BC Cannabis Stores.

British Columbia is often considered the epicenter of cannabis cultivation in Canada, with “BC Bud” being known worldwide. It’s hard to deny the impact the West Coast has had on Canada’s entire cannabis culture.

At the time of writing, the provincial supplier only had one variety of seeds on sale – Bubba Kush Seeds by 34 Street Seed Co. The province’s independent retailers have a wider variety of seeds on their store menus, and some even have a few varieties on sale to choose from .

Our top picks:

alberta

Is it legal to wax? Yes

Are seeds available? Yes

Where can I buy? Seeds are available at many private retail stores in the province.

On a per capita basis, no province has a higher cannabis retail saturation than Alberta, with one store per 6,300 people. In early March 2022, the government got out of the retail game, allowing the private sector to take responsibility for sales and delivery.

So it should come as no surprise that Alberta is one of the better provinces for seed access. Almost every pharmacy menu we’ve looked at has at least a few types of seeds available, and most have at least two or three options.

Our top picks:

Saskatchewan

Is it legal to wax? Yes

Are seeds available? Yes

Where can I buy? Seeds are available at most private stores and through private delivery.

If you’re inclined to argue that a fully private cannabis market is better for consumers, Saskatchewan’s seed market could help make your point.

Almost every store offers something for both in-store shopping and online sales. And on top of that, the Prairie Province has the best deal we’ve found nationwide at Kiaro, La Ronge: four Pink Limeade seeds for ten bucks. Seeds for the people of Saskatchewan!

Our top picks:

Manitoba

Is it legal to wax? No.

Otherwise there is not much to say about Manitoba. Right at the start of legalization, Manitoba chose to “put the limit at zero, effectively banning the cultivation of non-medical cannabis at home,” according to the government.

(There are still plenty of ways to get your hands on seeds in the Stamp Province, but none of them are “legal.” Let your imagination run wild; loose lips sink ships.)

ontario

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Yes.

Where can I buy? OCS.ca and select retail locations.

Ontario has one of the best product selections and a thriving private retail market. It also has, with all due respect to my Ontario stoner friends, one of the strangest and most frustrating cannabis markets in the country.

At first there was only online trading; then there were physical stores, but only a handful. Now it’s “too many”. Private shops couldn’t deliver at first – then they could, then they couldn’t again and now they can again.

Seed prices are quite high in Ontario, but the variety is unparalleled. Most seed packets will set you back over $30, but the province has the widest range of strains, with 28 different products available at the time of writing (including a rare discovery when it comes to seeds – a high CBD content).

Our top picks

Quebec

Is it legal to wax? No.

Although the ban on home growing in Quebec was temporarily lifted following a court ruling in 2019, it was reinstated in 2021, and Quebecers caught growing potted plants at home face a $750 per plant fine.

As a result, seeds are not available in Quebec’s provincial-operated SQDC stores.

New Brunswick

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Yes.

Where can I buy? Seeds are available at all Cannabis NB locations and online.

If you’re regularly growing cannabis plants year-round using legal seeds, then consistent availability is important – and the New Brunswick seed market, sold through provincial-run Cannabis NB, is nothing if not consistent.

At the time of writing, nine seed varieties were available. All are regularly stocked in each of the province’s 20 pharmacies and are available for online orders.

All packs are usually the same price – 5 seeds for $54.99 – and most are supplied by 34 Street Seed Co., a brand owned by Alberta-based ANC Cannabis.

Our top picks:

*Our pharmacy locator searches cannabis retail menus based on your location. The retailer gets 100% of their sales, Leafly doesn’t take a percentage.

Prince Edward Island

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Sometimes.

Where can I buy? PEI cannabis when they sell.

Although it is perfectly legal to grow the usual four cannabis plants in Prince Edward Island, as of February 2021 no seeds were available through the province’s retailer.

Zipper. zilch. Nada. We can only recommend that you visit the PEI Cannabis website regularly.

Nova Scotia

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Yes.

Where can I buy? Seeds are available at provincial NSLC cannabis stores.

Nova Scotia’s provincially operated NSLC cannabis stores stock a decent amount of inexpensive seeds – six seeds for $29.99 in most cases. Similar to other provincial markets, seed availability and access vary. At the time of publication, the NSLC had 18 types of seed from 3 producers.

Our top picks

Newfoundland & Labrador

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Sometimes.

Where can I buy? Cannabis NL provincially operated website and private retail outlets.

Similar to PEI, Newfoundlands are legally able to purchase seed. But in reality it can be difficult to do so.

While seeds have historically been available for purchase, they are only sometimes in stock through the provincial retailer. At the time of writing there were no seeds available to order online and we were unable to access any of the store menus for seeds listed for sale.

Yukon

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Yes.

Where can I buy? Seeds are mainly available from private retailers.

Cannabis seed availability is by no means widespread in the Yukon Territory, probably because the area has only three stores outside of the capital, Whitehorse.

However, for those who live downtown, access to seeds shouldn’t be a problem – we’ve been able to find at least two stores stocking seeds in Whitehorse and one in Carmacks. The choice is of course limited.

Our top picks

Northwest Territories

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Yes.

Where can I buy? ReLeafNT and possibly other retail stores.

It’s hard to give too much advice on buying seeds in the Northwest Territories as there isn’t much information online (and Leafly won’t put me through the airfare to do a speculative scouting mission…)

In late 2021, the Territory closed its online sales, making ReLeafNT the de facto online retailer for the Territory. They sell seeds – although what was in stock varied depending on when we checked.

Our top picks:

Nunavut

Is it legal to wax? Yes.

Are seeds available? Currently not.

Cannabis use remains quite stigmatized. The legal market hasn’t really taken hold there either – there is only one retailer, Nuna Cannabis in Iqaluit, but that shop doesn’t currently sell any seeds.

Kieran Delamont

Kieran is a writer and photographer based in Nova Scotia, in Mi’kma’ki, the Mi’kmaq ancestral and non-ceded territory. His work has appeared in Broadview, The Walrus, Maisonneuve and elsewhere, and he has been writing about the cannabis industry since 2016.

Check out Kieran Delamont’s articles

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