Canada: Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island announce plans to regulate cannabis

After the British Columbia and the Manitoba This week, it's the turn of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to reveal a little more about their future cannabis regulatory framework.

Like the other provinces, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have set the minimum legal age for cannabis at 19.

Nova Scotia has chosen to establish a government monopoly on cannabis sales. Visit Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. (NSLC) will be responsible for selling cannabis through its distribution network and online. Unlike the Quebec, from New Brunswick or Ontario, N.E. intends to distribute alcohol and cannabis in the same premises, and this has already provoked a great deal of criticism.

«The danger is the impulse,» explained N-E Assemblymember Karla MacFarlane, «I've heard it from a lot of young people, when they walk into a liquor store and they also have the opportunity to buy marijuana. The science is there, the data is there, the two shouldn't be mixed.»

The NLSC has the experience and expertise to distribute and sell controlled products such as alcohol and now cannabis in a responsible manner,« says NS Minister of Justice Mark Furey.

Self-cultivation will be authorized for up to 4 plants, and adult N-E residents will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams of cannabis.

Prince Edward Island intends to distribute cannabis under the control of its liquor board, but in separate stores.

In both provinces, the private sector will not have access to the sale of cannabis, in contrast to Alberta or British Columbia.