Introduction To Purchasing Cannabis Beverages In Canada

Depending on what province or territory you live in Canada, there will be a different market set -up for cannabis beverages. Someone living in Ontario will have a different experience purchasing cannabis beverages then someone living in Quebec for example. The following blog is a quick guide to how Canadians of the legal drinking age (19+ in most provinces, 21+ in Quebec) can purchase cannabis beverages in the various provinces from coast to coast.

British Columbia

In British Columbia, you can purchase cannabis products including THC drinks & CBD drinks from both privately run and government run retail stores. You can also order drinks online from the BC Cannabis Stores website. There are a large number of stores spread across the province, with a high concentration around the greater Vancouver area.

Alberta

Alberta saw the greatest proliferation of stores when cannabis was first legalized in Canada, and today still has one of the highest number of stores per capita. Weed drinks and other cannabis products can be purchased in person at privately run retail stores, with the majority in and around Edmonton and Calgary. Originally, you could also purchase from the government directly using an online store portal, but that no longer is in operation. Instead, you can purchase online delivery of products from certain private store outlets.

Saskatchewan & Manitoba

In Saskatchewan & Manitoba, you can purchase cannabis products from privately run retail stores. Select private retailers also offer online orders & delivery of cannabis including THC drinks & CBD drinks.

Hover is currently available in Saskatchewan and will be shortly in Manitoba.

Ontario

In Ontario, there are now over 1500+ stores spread across the province. These are all privately run, with a mix of independent stores and larger chain stores. You can also order online from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).

Hover is currently available across Ontario as well as online from the OCS.

Quebec

Quebec is one of the few government only run provinces in Canada for cannabis products. The SQDC (Société québécoise du cannabis) runs both the province’s e-commerce portal as well as all retail stores in the province.

Atlantic Canada

Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island are similar to Quebec in that they are both solely government run & operated with no private retail component. You can purchase cannabis either online from the government, or at select retail locations.

New Brunswick is also majority government run & operated, but there is work underway to open private retail stores.

In Newfoundland & Labrador, you can purchase THC drinks & CBD drinks from the government online, or from private retailers across the province (majority in St. John’s).

Private Vs. Government Retailers

Both private & government retailers offer safe, legal cannabis products for sale. Both have knowledgeable staffers (known in the industry as budtenders) who can answer any questions you may have. If you are new to cannabis drinks, we recommend going to a physical retail store for your first purchase, so you can ask any questions you may have (see our post ‘Best Questions To Ask Budtenders’ for advice on how to approach purchasing cannabis beverages). No matter where you reside in Canada, there is an easy & straightforward means to purchase legal recreational cannabis. To find out where you can purchase Hover Beverages, check out our website’s Where To Buy page.