It was a two-hour wait to get inside the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) store on Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal again on Thursday.
People took it in stride, but what caught them off guard was the amount of packaging used to pack marijuana products.
READ MORE: Pot shop frenzy continues in Montreal on Day 2 of legalization
Frédéric Brault had to giggle when he opened one of his cardboard jars to find another one inside, containing his cannabis.
“Yeah, I’m surprised,” he laughed.
“It’s like a gift.”
The produce come in a variety of containers — from boxes to jars of various sizes. In some cases the container might not even be full depending on the volume of purchase.
Some shoppers see it all as unnecessary wasteful packaging and think it is a bit excessive.
“I think it just boosts the price, and it does nothing to the weed,” Benjamin Roy said.
READ MORE: Marijuana is legal in Canada but expect tougher rules in Quebec
Others, like Brault, think part of it has to do with security.
“For the kids and for the smell I think,” he said.
Andrea Paine of Aurora Cannabis in Pointe Claire explains they are just following the standards set for them, and among other things all the packages must be childproof and tamper proof.
“The rules and regulations behind it are determined by Health Canada,” she said. “They are the ones that specify what packaging we should be using.”
The choice of material for the container is also important.
“The excise tax stamp has to be stuck on the package and remain on the package at all times,” she added.
Health Canada tells Global News that they just set rules, but it is the provinces that determine how to adhere to them.
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