Everything You Need To Know About Quebec's "SAQ For Marijuana"

When marijuana is legalized in Canada, you’ll be able to buy your bud at one of Quebec’s many of the new “Societé Québécoise du Cannabis” storefronts. 

Sound a bit familiar?

That’s because Quebec’s liquor board, the SAQ, will be overseeing marijuana distribution in Quebec, according to the province’s not-yet-entirely-revealed marijuana legislation. 

A formal regulatory framework for how marijuana will be regulated in Quebec is set to be tabled today, but CBC caught wind of some expected proposals, like the province’s plans for Societé Québécoise du Cannabis stores. 

About 20 SQC storefronts will open across the province, the only place where marijuana can be legally sold. 

Order can be made online, however, with deliveries to be carried out by Canada Post. 

Anyone buying cannabis in-person or accepting a delivery will need to be at least 18-years-old, and be able to prove it. 

But while the Quebec government is moving forward with a plan for regulating marijuana, some provincial leaders aren’t quite happy about it. 

Health Minister Lucie Charlebois is calling on Ottawa to push legalization back a year, saying that the July 1, 2018 deadline doesn’t give provinces enough time to set up a functional framework for cannabis. 

Charlebois isn’t the first Canadian politician to ask the Trudeau government for a delay. It’s doubtful the federal government will comply and push legalization back to 2019. 

More details will arise once the province officially tables its marijuana framework later this morning. Expect updates.