New Nova Scotia regulations allow retail cannabis stores owned by Mi’kmaq community

Mi’kmaq communities in Nova Scotia will be able to open legal cannabis retail stores on reserve under new provincial regulations.

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation had been the only authorized cannabis seller in the province, with 50 stores including one on the Eskasoni reserve in Cape Breton.

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But under new regulations announced today, a band or band-owned corporation can become an authorized seller within a Mi’kmaq community through an agreement with the liquor corporation.

Any new stores in Mi’kmaq communities will have to sell cannabis purchased through the corporation.

The government says the move is the result of concerns raised by Mi’kmaq leaders about the sale of illegal cannabis in their communities.

According to the provincial Finance Department, cannabis sales at liquor corporation outlets totalled $121 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2025.