Cannabis POS software to streamline Quebec dispensaries

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Medical / Recreational

Quebec allows both medical and recreational marijuana use. 

Timeline of the province cannabis legalization

2001: medical cannabis use is legal in Canada.

2018: In June, the Canada Government adopted the Cannabis Act decriminalizing certain cannabis-related acts. 

2018: In October, recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada on the federal level.

2019: In November, the cannabis regulation was tightened. The amendments were related to cannabis use in public areas and raising the legal age to 21. 

In Canada, the joint stock company called the “Société des alcools du Québec” was established in 1921. “Société québécoise du cannabis” (SQDC) is its subsidiary founded in 2018. It watches cannabis to meet standards, regulates cannabis dispensary operation, cannabis trade via the Internet, and informs customers about cannabis health influence.

Province cannabis laws

Law violence can be rather costly as it is followed by a range of fines, restrictions, and law enforcement’s increased attention. The cannabis business can even lose its license. That’s why dispensary operation must be legal and pursuant to province regulations.

Let’s observe the main requirements that you must remember if you are a business owner in Quebec.

License

Medical cannabis retail stores

Since cannabis is legal across Canada on a federal level, a federal license is required. All federal licensees can possess, transport, store, destruct, research, and sell cannabis to other federally licensed businesses. 

If you want to sell medical cannabis, you need a license for sale for medical purposes. It is considered to be a subclass of a license for sale. 

Before applying for a license:

  • The Cannabis Act and its Regulations;
  • Other federal Acts and Regulations;
  • Provincial or territorial legislation, and municipal by-laws;
  • The Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS);
  • The licensing application requirements;
  • Additional Health Canada guidance.
  • Don’t forget to notify the following authorities: 
  • The local Government;
  • The local fire authority;
  • The local police force or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment. 
  • Make sure that the notice contains your name, the date of applying, the class, and subclass of the necessary license, the conducted activity, the place address, confirmation that the activity is cannabis-related. 

A license must include:

  • The license holder’s name;
  • The license number;
  • The class and subclass of a license;
  • The business place address;
  • Type of the activity;
  • Days of license operation.

Recreational cannabis retail stores

Only the SQDC can sell recreational cannabis in Quebec.

Dispensary design requirements

Marijuana retail outlets have to be fixed places separated by barriers from floor to ceiling or walls. Customers must enter through a door. 

A dispensary must not be located near preschools, elementary and secondary schools, adult educational centers, vocational training centers, and colleges. 

Cannabis product displays must be inaccessible to customers. A dispensary employee must show them the product. Cannabis items shall be invisible from the outside of the store.

There are specific rules for signage:

  • A retail outlet must sign that people under 21 are not tolerated in a dispensary, and selling cannabis to them is forbidden. The Minister provides the sign. 
  • The sign may also contain a warning about the harmful effects of cannabis. 
  • You shall put a sign on the entrance door or near it. 
  • You must not remove the sign. 

Any form of sponsorship associated with cannabis promotion is prohibited.

Operational requirements

Adult-use cannabis retail stores

A person under 21 years of age is not allowed to the premises of a cannabis retail store. 

A dispensary must be secured to prevent unauthorized access:

  • Visual recording devices to detect any unauthorized access;
  • Intrusion detection system;
  • Determine measures to be taken in case of an incident;
  • Detected incidents must be recorded. The document must contain the date and time of the incident, measures taken, and the date and time when they were taken.

You shall keep the dispensary building clean and in order. 

Transaction requirements

Adult-use cannabis retail stores

In Quebec, there is a list of products that the SQDC is allowed to sell: 

  • Dried cannabis;
  • Cannabis oil;
  • Fresh cannabis;
  • Cannabis resin (hashish);
  • Edibles;
  • Cannabis accessories;
  • Specialized publications about cannabis.

Check that your budtender obtains a certificate confirming that they completed the training courses and are allowed to sell cannabis. The Minister of Health and Social Services determines the training. 

  • A budtender must not sell cannabis to a person under 21 years. 
  • The selling is not allowed if a purchaser is drugs or alcohol influenced. 
  • Budtenders also must not sell cannabis if they know that a purchaser buys it for another drug- or an alcohol-influenced person under 21 years of age. 
  • A budtender can request a person buying cannabis to show the document proving they are of legal age. The paper must contain photo identification approved by a government, a person’s name, and a date of birth.

Purchasing limits

Adult-use cannabis retail stores

There are some requirements related to cannabis purchase rules:

  • A customer can purchase no more than 30 grams of dried cannabis in one visit.
  • When selling, SQDC must bring a customer the information prescribed by ministerial regulation.

Label requirements

Packaging must not be used for promotional or advertising purposes.

  • It can contain only the brands and informative elements. 

Make sure that a cannabis product container label has the following information on it:

  • The name, phone number, and email address of the cultivator or a manufacturing company;
  • The class of the cannabis;
  • The product’s brand name, lot number;
  • The recommended storage conditions;
  • The date of packaging;
  • For cannabis plants, plant seeds, or edibles, the expiry date should be pointed out;
  • If there is no expiry date, a statement that no expiry date was set should be present;
  • The warning statement “KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN / TENIR HORS DE LA PORTÉE DES ENFANTS”;
  • A health warning;
  • If a product contains THC more than 10 μg/g, a special symbol must be on the label;
  • The statement “Contains the equivalent of (the quantity of dried cannabis, in grams, that is equivalent to the quantity of cannabis, in grams or seeds, as the case may be, as determined in accordance with subsection 2(4) of the Act, in the container)g of dried cannabis.” should be written except it is dried cannabis or cannabis plant.

All label requirements you will find here. 

Delivery requirements

Only a person authorized by SQDC or Government can conduct transportation, including delivery, and store cannabis for commercial use. 

A seller for medical purposes can provide a delivery service if the address belongs to a patient or a caregiver, and they can provide a written or verbal purchase order.

Written purchase order must contain:

  • The date when it is placed;
  • The name, surname, and birth date of the patient;
  • The name and surname of the one ordered;
  • The address;
  • The patient’s ID;
  • The names of the products, their quantity, and the brand names.

Verbal purchase order must include:

  • The date when it is placed;
  • The name, surname, and birth date of the patient;
  • The name and surname of the one ordered;
  • The address;
  • The patient’s ID;
  • The names of the products, their quantity, and the brand names;
  • The order number.

Province reporting system

The Government determines the reports, content, form, and frequency that must be sent to the Minister by a cannabis producer.

Private distributors and retailers must report to their provincial authority. The authority then submits the information to Health Canada.

Cannabis business owners send reports through Cannabis Tracking and Licensing System (CTLS). It is a web app that allows business owners to submit new license applications, amendment requests, and monthly tracking reports. 

To access the system, you must request access. There is a guide for getting started working with CTLS.

A business owner has to send a report to a Minister no later than the 15th day of each month.