Ontario will sell marijuana at stand-alone LCBO-run stores and a website once the drug is made legal by the federal government next year.
The plan unveiled Friday is to have 150 government pot shops open by 2020, including 80 by July 1, 2019. The province aims to have 40 open next summer when legalization is expected to kick in.
The prospect of selling legal marijuana alongside alcohol at the LCBO is off the table but like booze, the minimum wage to buy weed will be 19. Police will be allowed to confiscate small amounts of cannabis from younger Ontarians without charging them.
Weed use will be restricted to private homes so you won't legally be able light up in the car, in a park or on a patio. The government says down the road they may look at licensing bars and restaurants.
Marijuana dispensaries will be closed.
In their place will be LCBO-run shops with a yet-to-be-determined name. The province says it will work with municipalities to figure out their locations.
If you're buying legal pot products in store, you will find what's on offer hidden and out of reach behind a counter. An ID and signature will be required for marijuana deliveries and packages will no be left at the doorstep. Edibles will not be available for sale. No decision has been made on pricing and taxation though Ontario's finance minister says the aim is deter reliance on the illegal market.
with files from Justine Lewkowicz