Many Canadians have been looking forward to the day when cannabis is legal, but as they roll up to their local marijuana shops on Wednesday, they may be surprised at how much it costs.
In Saskatchewan, cannabis shops are up and running in Yorkton, Rural Municipality of Edenwold, North Battleford, Battleford and Martensville.
At Eden, the store in the RM of Edenwold, a gram costs $18.99, the price of three-and-a-half grams range from $35.99 – $64.99 and the cost of seven grams range from $67.99 – $81.99.
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Nicholas Costache was one of many who were in line for the grand opening of Eden and has been prescribed medical cannabis for about six years.
“I sent my son off to school at 8:30 and walked out the door right away and came here. I’ve been waiting for this day for a while,” Costache said.
After learning the cost of a gram while standing in line, Costache ended up leaving before even going inside of the store while shouting “I’m going back to my dealer.”
The cost of a gram ranges from $8 – $16 at North Battleford Cannabis Co. and Fire & Flower Inc. in Yorkton.
“We looked at a number of factors. We looked at the industry, we did look at the black market, but the thing that’s important to remember is that this is a brand new industry,” Nadia Vattovaz, the executive vice president of finance for Fire and Flower Cannabis Co. said.
“We don’t know so much about what’s going to happen, and consumers will tell us about which product they want, what products that they’re looking for and, of course, over the course of time we’ll see prices settle accordingly,” she said.
WATCH BELOW: Pot is legal across Canada but there were no stores that opened in Regina or Saskatoon, but just 10 minutes outside of Regina, Eden was open for business. Cannabis users were excited to be the first in line.
At the two Jimmy’s Cannabis locations in Battleford and Martensville, the price of a gram is $13, three-and-a-half grams ranges from $28 – $42, seven grams is $80, and 15 grams ranges from $138 – $165.
Saskatchewan prices are among the highest in the country.
Through a government-run website in B.C, the price for a gram range from $6.99 – $16.28, while the cost of three-and-a-half grams max out at $50.
In Alberta, prices for a gram range from $9.24 – $15.42 and three-and-a-half grams can cost $49.99.
Delta 9 Cannabis in Manitoba is selling a gram for $12 online.
Prince Edward Island and Quebec are among the cheapest provinces in the country to buy legal cannabis. Quebec is selling a gram at $5.25 while in P.E.I. the price begins at $5.65 per gram.
Although the cost of cannabis may be higher in Saskatchewan, it didn’t stop many people from taking part in the historic day and purchasing their marijuana legally.