Cannabis was recently legalized in Canada with rules for consumption varying across the several provinces. In Montreal, much like in the other provinces, the legalization was welcomed with much fanfare. Thousands of potential customers had lined up outside Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) waiting for the doors to open. Reports had been disseminated over the last few weeks that construction and design crews were in a hurry to put finishing touches on the SQDC branches.

Even though a few details on customer service protocols and safety regulations are still being ironed out, activity at the SQDC retail stores picked up really quickly as employees eagerly opened their doors to customers on Oct 17^th.

However, MTL blog noticed one weird detail in the SQDC shops which seemed to be sticking out more than others.

According to the report, “Marijuana product names in the SQDC are mostly in English. This is odd in a government-run agency. This may be because these products come from outside the problems, but it’s unclear. It’s not just that some product names are pretty hilarious. They’re also in English. That’s a pretty odd choice, especially considering the SQDC is an arm of the provincial government of Quebec.”

It is unclear whether the use of English names on these products is legal, the choice is, however, an odd one. There are very strict rules for public signs set by theOffice Québécois de la langue française (OQLF) though there are a few exceptions. The rules state that products coming from outside the province may be advertised in French in certain circumstances. Names that are copyrighted may also remain in English.

It is, therefore, speculated that these factors might explain SQDC products and their English labels. However, it poses a big problem to non-English speakers in the province as the product names would be inaccessible to them. Something as simple and minor as names for marijuana should be changeable.

There are admittedly more important descriptors on the products than just the names, therefore hopefully, other more critical information on SQDC labels, like THC content, are in French could help the non-English speaking consumer in making a choice.

A statement from the OQLF on this situation would definitely go a long way to clear things up as it remains unclear what process labels in public retailers must undergo before approval.

The SQDC (Société québécoise du cannabis) are presently fully stocked and welcoming customers who have eagerly waited for ages to purchase marijuana legally from stores. Potential customers could have a glance at the menu in advance by looking online so that they can see the different types of marijuana available and the prices as types and prices vary.

At the moment, the average price seems to about $10 per gram, although some types cost only $8.50 per gram.  There seem to be no discounts for making bulk purchases as Rockstar, for instance, costs $35.30 a for 3.5 grams and 15 grams costs $151.00.