The NSLC’s marijuana supply is dwindling as local growers await the green light from Health Canada.
Cannabis producers must be approved before selling their product.
Finance Minister Karen Casey says she’s written to Health Canada twice, and all ministers have expressed the same concern to Minister Morneau.
The province currently has less than 40 per cent of the supply needed to keep shops open.
Casey is worried disappointed buyers may turn to other sources.
“If our supply is down, we know people will buy from another supplier and that’s the black market,” says Casey. “That was a part of our strategy of course, to break into the black market, so that is an issue.”
She says there is currently one supplier in Nova Scotia, with two more in the approval cue.
Meanwhile, a local cannabis producer is waiting for the green light from Health Canada.
Aqualitas Inc. is located in Port Mersey Commercial Park, the former Bowater paper mill, in Queens County.
CEO and founder, Myrna Gillis, says once they get a sales licence, they could have their products on the market within two weeks of an order from the NSLC.
“Nova Scotia is the highest per capita consuming province in both the social and in the medical (cannabis) and obviously access in the market is an exteremly important consideration for us,” she says.
Gillis was pleased to hear the provincial government pressing for quicker turn around from Health Canada.
“I very much appreciate that initiative on behalf of me and our employees because for us, we’ve invested a lot in our province and we want to be successful but we can’t do that without revenue.”
Gillis expects their cannabis to be in high demand once it’s available.
Aqualitas is one of only four producers in the country that has organic certification.
Story by Erin McInnis and Brittany Wentzell
