‘THEY ARE COMING BACK’
Illegal pot dealers say cost could be their advantage over NSLC
Illegal pot dealers say cost could be their advantage over NSLC.
Two pot dealers in Cape Breton say they plan to keep selling for as long as they can and they have the customers to keep business open.
Mary-Jane and Herb both spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity. They don’t know each other but both have had customers tell them they prefer buying from them instead of the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation.
“A lot of people don’t want to go to the liquor store to get their weed,” said Herb who has been selling marijuana for about 40 years.
“They don’t want to have people see them buying a halfounce of weed. They don’t want people knowing their business.”
Mary-Jane has been selling cannabis for about 18 years. Her clientele is generally between the ages of 30-60 and Mary-Jane said she did see a slump in sales leading up to legalization – from a regular $1,500/week profit to $400. But now it’s returning to pre-legalization sales.
“I think people were saving up for when it was legal. But now it’s starting to pick back up again,” she said.
“They did go and check out the store because they’re nosey. But people are feeling they are getting ripped off from the government and the price is too high so they are coming back.”
Sonny, who asked not to be named because of the stigma surrounding people who use cannabis, consumes it recreationally and medically. He isn’t a client of Mary-Jane or Herb but plans to stay with his regular dealer because he is a recovering alcoholic and doesn’t like going into the liquor store.
“I don’t want to have to walk by alcohol to buy my pot. Even after eight years you still have times when you want it. It’s just best for me to stay away from
it,” said Sonny who is wary of online sales because he can’t see the product.
“Their price point is off too. I can get it illegally for $7 a gram, top shelf stuff, and theirs is $10 a gram or more.”
Suzie is another cannabis user who asked not to be named for the same reasons as Sonny. Price is the main reason she is continuing to buy from her regular dealer and said she doesn’t trust purchasing cannabis online because she’s afraid of personal information being stored in a database.
“The stuff I’m buying (illegally) is good and it costs $25 for three grams. My buddy paid $45 for three grams from the NSLC. That’s almost double,” said Suzie, who’s been smoking pot for almost 20 years.
“(The government) didn’t research what we’re smoking or what we’re paying for it.”
Suzie is considering purchasing some CBD oil from the NSLC, which has little or no THC, because of how effective she’s heard it is for pain and sleep problems. She also has some concerns with people lacing marijuana sold on the street with substances like fentanyl.
“When things get really bad (with the quality of cannabis sold illegally) then I might buy from the NSLC,” she said.
Herb said his 15 customers plan to stick with him and
Mary-Jane feels confident more of her customers will return to keep business profitable.
However, Cape Breton Regional Police are warning while cannabis maybe legal, selling it isn’t and they will still investigate the same way they did before legalization.
“There is a grey area in people’s minds now, but when it comes to illegal distribution and the possession for distribution there really is no grey area. There is only one organization allowed to do that and that’s the NSLC,” said Staff Sgt. Kenny Routledge.
Routledge said the biggest changes regarding cannabis is it has been removed from the Controlled Substances Act and now falls under the Cannabis Act (federally) and the Cannabis Control Act (provincially.) This makes offences related to trafficking
of cannabis dual-procedure offences, meaning the charge can be a summary or indictable offense and the crown decides which way to proceed after police make their arrest.
“If it was me, I would always go for the federal offence,” Routledge said.