Purchasing and Consuming Legal Weed in Montreal

[Admiral Yi]

Just got back from Montreal.  Here is my informative report on the first year of legalized marijuana in Canada. 

Before going I had googled weed stores.  In Montreal your only option is a government run store called SQDC, which stands for Societe Quebecoise du Cannabis.  Fortunately there is one very close to my hotel.  So after I got off the city bus from the airport I dragged my luggage there.  This one was right on one of the main drags, well lit, very clear signage.  Nothing furtive or clandestine about it at all.  There was a little line-up area just inside the door where you had to wait until an older black dude in mall cop clothes waived you into the purchasing area in the back.  Another black dude was checking IDs to make sure everyone was 18+.

On the far (south) wall was a sign that said something like "Order Here" (in French).  Underneath the sign was an uncorporate looking girl with piercings and tats and behind her was a good-sized dry erase board with all the flavors available and their prices, and whether they were indica, sativa, or hybrid.  Indica and sativa two strains (species???) of weed with somewhat different effects.  I approached the tat girl and said I would like to buy some sativa, preferably a flavor grown by Canopy Growth Corporation (because I own shares and it's always nice to put money back into your own pocket I feel).  Unfortunately that information was not readily available in the store.  It didn't show up on the packaging either.  That seems like a real mistake to me by the growers.  How are they expecting to develop brand loyalty?  So I kind of gave up and asked her to recommend a sativa.  So I ended up buying some Tangerine Dream.

The packaging, or least that of the one I got, was sort of like a squatty large Ibuprofen bottle, with a child resistant cap and a sealed mouth.  On the label it San Rafael (is that a grower?), sativa, Tangerine Dream, Total THC 13.36%, Total CBD 0.02%.  There was a product warning in yellow that said pregnant women shouldn't consume.  I really wanted to bring back that empty container as a souvenir, but I was afraid that might not go over great with the jack-booted thugs at US Immigration.  So I just took a picture of it with my phone.

I caught some serious luck with the waiting line.  I walked by that same store two times during my trip and there were lines that stretched down the block.  I was in line for about 5 minutes; I figured those poor saps would be waiting an hour.

The Tangerine Dream cost 27.20 Canadian (20.53 US) for 3 grams.  I had no clue what 3 grams was.  It's about the volume of a nectarine I'd say.  Price-wise it was around the low middle of the price range. 

Then down the street to the head shop (people in Montreal speak great English but I got nothing but blank looks when I asked about "head shops").  Bought a pipe and asked about local smoking etiquette.  The hottie behind the counter said if a sign says no cigarette smoking (like in the entrance to a store or building) don't light up there.  She also said it's not necessarily going to get you tossed in the hoosegow, but it's considered uncool to light up when little kids are around, like at a park or playground.

I saw surprisingly few people getting high in public.

Thus endeth my tale.

[Caliga]

Was the shit good?  Were you in Montreal just to get weed?

[Admiral Yi]

I'm no great connoisseur.  This stuff made me slightly  paranoid.

I was in Montreal primarily for the amazing women, somewhat for the cosmo vibe.

[viper37]

Well, that's one good thing for consumers.  Before legalization, they had no idea they were getting high on tangerine dream.

Quebec govt lost money in its first year of operation. So did Ontario.  Hell's Angels are still strong though.

[Grey Fox]

Quebec's approach to weed selling is treating it like a pharmacy.

The New Brunswick stores are way more laid back. Manitoba's are private & also sale paraphernalia. Ontario is being dumb.

I have no idea what a head shop is.

[Malthus]

Quebec's approach to weed selling is treating it like a pharmacy.

The New Brunswick stores are way more laid back. Manitoba's are private & also sale paraphernalia. Ontario is being dumb.

I have no idea what a head shop is.

"Head shop" is a place that, pre-legalization, sold pipes, papers, stoner T-shirts, and the like - all with a thin veneer of deniability (we sell water pipes 'for smoking perfectly legal tobacco', of course - never heard of weed. Even though half the t-shirts in the store have pictures of pot leaves on them ...  ).

In short, all the junk that goes along with smoking pot, except the pot.

[Grey Fox]

Ahh. I have no idea what Montreal's anglo call those things.

[Malthus]

Ahh. I have no idea what Montreal's anglo call those things.

What are they called in French?

[Eddie Teach]

No heads on sale? What a rip.

[Grey Fox]

Ahh. I have no idea what Montreal's anglo call those things.

What are they called in French?

AFAIK. Either the brand, High times, or accessoires de fumeurs. Tabagie if the shop also sales regular tobacco.

[Malthus]

Another business with the thinnest veneer of deniability, pre-legalization, was the suppliers of hydroponic equipment.

I had a friend who used to grow pot in his basement. He bought the equipment from a retail store that very obviously sold to pot growers - but the store literature all talked about growing the perfect tomatoes.

I once went to the place with him. All of the customers without exception were dudes in the 20s, plunking hundreds (or thousands) of dollars down in cash for high-end lights and equipment to support their hobby of growing perfect tomatoes inside their houses. 

[Caliga]

In my experience, most head shops sell weed and other drugs too, just not openly.

[Eddie Teach]

Another business with the thinnest veneer of deniability, pre-legalization, was the suppliers of hydroponic equipment.

I had a friend who used to grow pot in his basement. He bought the equipment from a retail store that very obviously sold to pot growers - but the store literature all talked about growing the perfect tomatoes.

I once went to the place with him. All of the customers without exception were dudes in the 20s, plunking hundreds (or thousands) of dollars down in cash for high-end lights and equipment to support their hobby of growing perfect tomatoes inside their houses. 

No 50 year-old lawyers? 

[Malthus]

No 50 year-old lawyers? 

Apparently, they don't like bespoke tomatoes as much. 

[Admiral Yi]

AFAIK. Either the brand, High times, or accessoires de fumeurs. Tabagie if the shop also sales regular tobacco.

No slang term?