Canada: New Brunswick to distribute its cannabis through the Société des alcools

The Canadian province of New Brunswick announced that it would distribute its cannabis via a network of government stores under the control of the Société des alcools (ANBL), in the same way as than in Ontario.

ANBL plans to open 20 cannabis stores in 15 different New Brunswick communities. Dispensaries will have to be located more than 300m from schools and display products under glass. An online cannabis sales system will also be available for people who don't live near the stores.

The minimum age for buying cannabis has not yet been set. By way of comparison, the minimum age for buying alcohol is 19.

Two cannabis producers will supply cannabis to the province for the first two years post-legalization: Canopy Growth and Organigram. 9 million grams of cannabis were ordered by the province from these 2 producers, for the 2 years.

New Brunswick Finance Minister Cathy Rogers told a press conference that the provincial government believes this distribution model is the best way to achieve the aforementioned goals. «One piece of advice we've received from other jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis, like Colorado or Wahsington, is to start with close government oversight, and that's what we're going to do.»

Ontario and New Brunswick are the first two Canadian provinces to unveil their post-legalization cannabis distribution plans. Alberta has published its recommendations (minimum age of 18 and 30 grams allowed in public), and some information has already leaked out about the Quebec, no official government statement, but confirmed by La Presse yesterday.