Authorized cannabis retailers in the provinces and territories

The purpose of this webpage is to help Canadians:

• differentiate between legal and illegal cannabis products
• find legal cannabis retailers in each province or territory

On this page

• Responsibilities of the provinces and territories
• Identifying legal cannabis products
• Identifying illegal cannabis retailers
• Legal cannabis in the provinces and territories

Responsibilities of the provinces and territories

Provinces and territories are responsible for determining the sale and distribution of cannabis within their jurisdictions.

They set rules around:

• how cannabis can be sold
• where stores may be located
• how stores must be operated
• who is allowed to sell cannabis

Provinces and territories also have the flexibility to set added restrictions, including:

• lowering possession limits
• increasing the minimum age
• restricting where cannabis may be used in public
• setting added requirements on personal cultivation

Identifying legal cannabis products

Only federal cannabis licence holders are able to grow cannabis for sale. This ensures that all legal cannabis products meet strict product safety and quality control requirements.

Legal cannabis products are only sold through retailers authorized by provincial and territorial governments, with one exception. Individuals who are authorized by a health care professional can register to buy cannabis products for medical purposes directly from a federally licensed seller.

Every package of a legal cannabis product has:

• the standardized cannabis symbol
• mandatory health warning messages
• plain packaging and labelling that is child-resistant
• an excise stamp, which is different for each province and territory

Figure 1 - Text description

Example of a legal cannabis product that displays the standardized cannabis symbol, the health warning messages, the excise stamp, and child-resistant plain packaging and labelling.

Each province or territory has its own excise stamp for legal cannabis products (except for products with less than 0.3% THC). The stamp has security features to prevent forgery, just like passports and banknotes.

Identifying illegal cannabis retailers

You should only purchase cannabis from legal retailers in your province or territory. Common signs to help identify an illegal cannabis retailer are:

• no age verification
• appealing packaging or products
• ships cannabis everywhere in Canada
• referral or sign up bonuses or other promotions
• requesting payment by e-transfer or cryptocurrency, credit cards are not accepted

If you're concerned or have a complaint about a possible illegal cannabis retailer, you should contact your local law enforcement or nearest Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment.

Legal cannabis in the provinces and territories

Adults are allowed to purchase legal cannabis products, seeds and plants from authorized retailers. You're responsible for knowing what's legal in the province or territory where you live or visit.

Information on legal cannabis in all provinces and territories is provided below, including:

• a link to their list of retail stores
• their age restriction
• a brief outline of where you can buy legal cannabis
• their public possession limits
• their excise stamp

Go to your provincial or territorial website for more details.