Hundreds line up to purchase legal pot at NSLC in New Minas
the store as more people joined the line, Alex LeBlanc was also outside holding a poster reading, ‘The Cannabis Act has made my life harder!’
LeBlanc, 33, has multiple sclerosis, and is on income assistance. He said he can no longer afford to buy cannabis.
“I’m a low-income patient. Social assistance does not fund cannabis, and MSI does not make a special exemption. The medication I want to take is now illegal, and I cannot afford these prices. So I’m screwed,” he said.
“I’ve got no more meds, no more money, and now no way to order my meds. I don’t know what to do.”
Supply problem means product could sell out
NSLC spokesperson Beverley Ware confirmed customers can currently purchase cannabis only in the form of dried flowers and prerolled joints. While a limited number of gel caps are available, oils and seeds have not yet arrived in stores.
Ware said this is due to a supply problem all locations are experiencing, which could also mean available products will soon sell out.
“We have less than 40 per cent of what we had anticipated, but we did get some deliveries today,” she said.
The maximum amount of cannabis that can be purchased is up to 30 grams. Completed orders are placed in paper bags ranging in size from small to medium to accommodate the different sizes of packaging, according to Ware.
“Many of these products ... are quite large because licensed producers put Health Canada information on the packaging, meaning they are substantially larger than the product itself,” she said.
Customers are also able to obtain access cards as of Oct. 17 at all NSLC locations for online cannabis purchases. There is no fee associated with obtaining a card.