The legal minimum age to purchase marijuana in Quebec will be 18 years and the sale of pot will be controlled by the province’s liquor control board, according to CBC News.
Canada’s French province of Quebec will be selling legal marijuana through government-controlled outlets next summer. The number of retail locations has not been determined, but the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) will be overseeing the management of the newly formed system.
Although the minimum age limit in Quebec will be 18 years, and Ontario will be 19, both provinces have decided to mirror the legal drinking age of their respective territories.
Quebec’s Public Health Minister, Lucie Charlebois, will introduce the legislation in the near future with no date for an announcement set at this time.
On Friday, Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux told the media that protecting the youth of Quebec and keeping them away from the black market is their priority. Coiteux also took the opportunity to comment on the significant trepidation the province has on the legalization of cannabis.
“It’s not our decision, it’s the decision of the federal government. It’s not necessarily the decision we would’ve made, but now it’s our responsibility to build the framework,” he said.
Quebec is the third province to release details of what legal cannabis retail will look like in Canada when it becomes available on a national level next July. Ontario has already made an official announcement that cannabis will be sold through government-controlled stores run by the Liquor Control Board (LCBO).
New Brunswick will also be supplying marijuana through a government-controlled system. For the first two years, all cannabis products will be provided by two major licensed producers, Canopy Growth and OrganiGram.
credit:marijuana.com