How to Get Weed in Each Province in Canada
How to buy cannabis in Canada depends on where you live, as regulations vary by province. This means that access to legal products varies across the country. And the ways to buy cannabis legally are constantly evolving.
Before adult legalization, there was only one way to buy legal weed in Canada: from a medical provider and delivered by mail. While medical cannabis patients still need to purchase their products through the mail order system, recreational products can be purchased in a number of ways.
Three years after cannabis legalization, most provinces and territories have physical store fronts, either by the government or through private retailers, as well as some sort of online ordering system. And some provinces are now allowing or planning consumers to buy direct from a producer or breeder in what is commonly referred to as a “farmgate” sale.
Ontario
Where to Buy Weed in Ontario
- Ontario Cannabis Store (Province, Online Only)
- In a cannabis retail store (private)
- Some delivery options
Ontario, Canada’s largest cannabis market with 15 million people, has one of the most diverse retail systems. Ontario has more than 1,000 approved private retail stores and new stores are still being approved.
To buy cannabis in Ontario, you can order online at the state-run Ontario cannabis store, in-store at a private retailer, or directly from a private retailer.
Ontario originally didn’t allow private businesses to sell online, but that changed when the pandemic broke out. An emergency measure in April 2020 allowed cannabis stores to temporarily arrange pickup and delivery to the curb.
Delivery is limited to store staff delivering the cannabis directly to consumers rather than using a third-party delivery service (such as Uber or Pineapple Express). If delivery isn’t your thing, some cities even offer drive-through options in their retail stores.
In October 2021, the provincial government proposed making these allowances permanent as part of a more comprehensive “Bureaucracy Reduction Package” for companies in Ontario.
The bill has yet to be discussed and passed before it possibly goes into effect, but in the meantime, Ontario cannabis retailers continue to enjoy the contingency allowance.
Ontario was also the first province to allow farm-based cannabis sales earlier this year, with the first store opening on April 20. Farmgate stores allow consumers to buy cannabis from where it is grown and offer a different experience than a retail store.
British Columbia
Where to Buy Weed in British Columbia
- BC Cannabis Store (Province, online only)
- In a cannabis retail store (private)
- Some delivery options
In British Columbia, you can buy cannabis through privately owned retail stores, state-owned BC Cannabis Stores, and online at the BC Cannabis Store. The majority of retailers are privately owned, with only about 30 of the roughly 400 stores in the province being a BC cannabis store.
In July 2021, BC announced that it would allow private retailers to have home delivery of cannabis products. A retailer christened its first delivery in motorcycle and sidecar.
The allowance was built on an August 2020 rule change that allowed private cannabis stores to conduct online sales and roadside collections due to concerns related to COVID-19.
How cannabis is sold is largely in the hands of the provinces, and each region will continue to build systems that match their own unique identities.
As in Ontario, home delivery can only be done by the retailer and not by third party delivery services or by mail. BC also recently announced that retailers could sell cannabis accessories like books and clothing.
British Columbia has also announced its plans to sell Farmgates sometime in 2022. Although the details of the plan are still limited, the province has announced that it will focus on helping small cannabis farms.
Alberta
Where to Buy Weed in Alberta
- Alberta Cannabis (Province, online only)
- In a cannabis retail store (private)
Alberta has a system of over 700 private retail stores (and growing!) And manages all online sales through a provincial store.
However, the provincial government recently passed a law that, if passed, will end the online sales of cannabis through Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) and allow private retailers to take over those services.
This followed a survey the AGLC sent out to retailers in June 2021 to measure retailers’ interest in participating in online sales.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Where to Buy Weed in Manitoba and Saskatchewan
- In a cannabis retail store (private)
- Delivery
Manitoba and Saskatchewan only have private cannabis retail stores with over 100 locations in each province. They are the only provinces that have never self-managed online sales and are choosing to have individual stores manage this option.
Cannabis dealers are allowed to supply products through their own staff or even through third-party suppliers. This means you can order weed like pizza in Manitoba and Saskatchewan without ever leaving your house (or waiting for the postal service).
At the moment, Manitoba is also considering laws that would shift liability for this cannabis to the third party supplier, not the cannabis retailer.
Newfoundland
Where can you buy grass in Newfoundland?
- In a cannabis retail store (private)
- Some delivery options
Newfoundlanders can buy cannabis in several dozen private cannabis stores or through Cannabis NL.
The province began giving retailers the ability to offer delivery as an option to consumers earlier this year, and also allowing retailers to operate a drive-through window.
Although the province has announced that it is open to farm sales, producers have not yet made a decision.
Public Businesses: Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI
Where to go in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI. Buy weed?
- Cannabis Retail Stores (Province)
- No private business, no delivery (post only)
Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI each have only state retail stores, and the only delivery option is shipping through the provincial online store in each province: the SQDC in Quebec, Cannabis NB in New Brunswick, NSLC in Nova Scotia, and PEI Cannabis .
The New Brunswick government recently announced law that, if passed, will allow privately owned cannabis businesses to operate in the province. Business will continue to operate under the Cannabis NB banner.
New Brunswick also announced its own cannabis Farmgate program earlier this year, two of which are currently operating in the province. Consumers can purchase locally made cannabis products as well as seeds and plants at participating locations.
Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
Cannabis in the Territories has different approaches.
In the Yukon, consumers can shop at a handful of private stores. Until recently, online sales were managed entirely by the territory, but new legislation recently passed opens this opportunity to private retail stores.
Those in the Northwest Territories can purchase their cannabis from one of six private stores. Online sales are managed through Releaf NT; however, personal deliveries are still not allowed in the area. The owner of Releaf NT says there have been discussions to allow this to happen in the future in the Yellowknife region they are in.
Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that allows residents to order directly from cannabis producers. They must be approved by the territorial government and there are currently only two approved manufacturers.
Nunavut also currently has a private retail store that also offers online shopping and mail delivery.
In-person purchases dominate retail
Overall, brick and mortar stores dominate cannabis sales, with the vast majority of purchases in each province being through face-to-face visits.
According to provincial reports, online sales make up only a small part of total sales, sometimes just a few percentage points. Farmgate sales are still young, so it is too early to estimate annual sales.
Canada’s retail system will continue to evolve. Although the number of branches continues to grow in several provinces, closings and consolidations are to be expected in some cases.
How cannabis is sold is largely in the hands of the provinces, and each region will continue to build systems that match their own unique identities.
David Brown
David Brown has been working in and writing about the cannabis industry in Canada since 2012. He was previously the editor-in-chief and communications director of Lift Cannabis and Lift News, senior policy advisor for the cannabis legalization division of Health Canada, and is the founder of StratCann Services Inc.
Show article by David Brown
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