Originally published on Canada Cannabis Legal on October 25, 2017.
Last week, New Brunswick Liquor ("NB Liquor") issued a tender for locations to sell recreational cannabis. This morning we learned that these storefronts will house stand-alone recreational cannabis retail outlets, which will operate as subsidiaries of NB Liquor. The stores will be coupled with online sales that will either deliver to customer homes or allow orders to be placed online and collected in store (or both). Finance Minister Cathy Rogers and Brian Harriman, NB Liquor President, announced the plan.
The stores will operate "under the business rules, terms and conditions established by the Crown corporation mandated to oversee, conduct and manage the retailing of recreational use cannabis in New Brunswick."
In terms of what the stores will look like, Harriman explained that identification would be checked at the door to ensure that anyone gaining access to the stores are above the minimum legal age to purchase, which is yet to be determined at the Provincial level. Customers will find products under glass cases and will be given a one-on-one consultative shopping experience. Harriman says that this model will still be a pleasant shopping experience even with increased regulation and control, which differs greatly from the self-serve alcohol retail model.
Rogers stated that details relating to the price of recreational cannabis will not be released until discussions with the federal government relating to tax have concluded. She did state that the Province intends to price competitively against the black market. Many expect the price of legal cannabis to be between $7 – $10 per gram.
The New Brunswick Press Release indicates that "the government will introduce necessary legislative amendments related to the legalization of cannabis in the upcoming legislative session."
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