Prince Edward Island, Canada has released its provincial cannabis industry regulations and the results of a public survey used to craft the rules. The purchasing age is set at 19 – in line with the survey results which found 47 percent support for aligning it with the drinking age in the province. Eighteen percent favored setting the age at 18-years-old and another eighteen percent preferred 21, while just 10 percent favored 25.
The government will control distribution and sales – including online – through the PEI Liquor Control Commission. The decision diverges from the survey results, which found 61 percent supported privately-owned retailers, and just 19 percent supported a government-run regime. Fourteen percent each favored stores where alcohol and tobacco are sold, respectively.
Interestingly, 34 percent of the survey respondents supported “providing funding and other supports to businesses involved in production and retail of cannabis products.”
In line with federal guidelines, Prince Edward Island will allow four home-cultivated plants per-household. The majority of survey respondents, 61 percent, indicated that while adults should be allowed to grow their own cannabis it should ultimately be the decision of the private property owner whether cannabis can be grown at the residence. Only Quebec has moved toward prohibiting home grows.
Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Alberta have also unveiled their provincial rules, while Saskatchewan officials released public survey results last month that they said would be used to devise the provincial rules.