Never been to the SQDC or need a refresher? This article will highlight everything you need to know about how to buy weed at SQDC Montreal.

Montreal, Quebec has always seemed to have a love affair with cannabis. Now, thanks to legalization, citizens and visitors can both enjoy and buy cannabis in Montreal.

To buy legal cannabis in the city you’ll have to head to the SQDC. The SQDC or Société Québécoise du Cannabis is the province’s only outlet for cannabis products with a few locations scattered around Montreal.

Never been to the SQDC or need a refresher? This article will highlight everything you need to know about how to buy weed at SQDC Montreal.

What to Know Before You Buy Weed at SQDC Montreal

Just like alcohol, the government has rules when it comes to cannabis. As such, there are some things you should know before you attempt to buy weed at SQDC Montreal.

Legal age to buy weed in Quebec

In Quebec, you have to be at least 18 years old to purchase cannabis. If you appear to be under 40 when entering an SQDC, security may ask for identification.

If you’ll be leaving Quebec, the legal age differs in each province so be sure to double-check.

What’s available at the SQDC

Of course, there’s cannabis available at the SQDC, but in what forms? When you’re looking to buy weed at SQDC Montreal, you can find:

  • Dried flower
  • Ground dried flower (milled)
  • Pre-rolls
  • Oils
  • Oral sprays
  • Capsules

Products at the SQDC are from licensed providers approved by the government.

What you can find when you go to buy weed at SQDC Montreal
What you can find when you go to buy weed at SQDC Montreal ©TheHighBlog

How much cannabis can I have?

In Quebec, you can purchase and carry up to 30 grams of dried cannabis in person. According to the SQDC, adults may not have more than 30 grams of dried cannabis or equivalent on their person.

“Equivalent” refers to things like capsules and oils. For example, 30 cannabis capsules can equal around 5 grams of dried cannabis depending on how they’re dosed.

You can, however, have 150 grams of dried cannabis or equivalent at home. This is regardless of the number of people who live in said home.

Montreal weed laws

While the province of Quebec has its own laws when it comes to cannabis and cannabis consumption, Montreal also has its own cannabis rules.

For example, there are certain boroughs or neighbourhoods in Montreal where smoking cannabis outdoors is prohibited. These are usually on the outskirts of the city.

Laws like these don’t seem to be fully enforced, but it doesn’t hurt to know them when in Montreal.

SQDC locations, hours and payment methods

At the time of writing this article, there are four locations to buy weed at SQDC Montreal. There’s also an SQDC off the island in nearby Brossard.

  • Downtown (Peel Station) -970, rue Sainte-Catherine O
  • Rosemont – Plaza Saint-Hubert (Station Beaubien) – 6972, rue Saint-Hubert
  • Notre-dame-de-Grace / Cote-des-Neiges (Station Snowdown) – 5250 chemin Queen Mary
  • Ahunstic-Cartierville Marché Centrale – 9256 boul. de l’Acadie
  • Brossard – 2700 boul. Matte suite 100

Stores right now are pretty sparse but Quebec has planned to open more outlets throughout the province.

If you want to buy weed at SQDC Montreal, it’s also best to know their operating hours. They are:

  • 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Friday
  • 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday – Sunday

The SQDC accepts the following methods of payment:

  • Cash
  • Debit card
  • Canadian Mastercard, Visa, and American Express

What It’s Like to Buy Weed at SQDC Montreal

Now that you have all the necessary details about buying weed at the SQDC, here’s what to expect.

Note: our experiences are from the SQDC downtown location.

Getting in

We often hear of daunting lines in front of the SQDC even months after legalization. So, whenever we plan to buy weed at SQDC Montreal, we arrive prepared to wait.

That said, and while it’s best to expect a line, we’ve actually been pleasantly surprised. We usually head to the SQDC on Saturday mornings shortly after they open and the longest we’ve waited was about 15 to 20 minutes.

Considering it’s right in the downtown core, the wait wasn’t bad at all (even if you have to stand in front of a Moore’s). The line usually starts at the door and trails along the sidewalk depending on how many people are in the queue.

From our experience, the line does move quickly and we’re usually inside before we know it.

Photo credit: Jeangagnon

Inside the SQDC

Once inside, the downtown SQDC looks like a passport office. The line is quiet, but the store echoes with shuffling feet, crumpling bags, and murmurs of cannabis orders. This usually gives an overall hasty vibe.

If there’s a line trailing from outside, it continues in the small front of the SQDC store near the security desk. This is where the on-site security guard will usually organize the line and ask for ID.

Screens with SQDC information and menus stay towards the front of the store that you can browse. It’s kind of awkward to do if there’s a line of people, but if there’s a group of two or more, it’s easier.

That said, you can also browse the SQDC menu and catalogue on their website.

Ordering weed in Montreal

Once inside, if there’s a line, it will likely move fast (depending on who is ahead of you). In this scenario, it’s best to know what you want so you can keep the line moving.

After getting passed the security desk, you can choose a lineup to order in. The SQDC has separate lines for ordering and payment. There’s no specific line to choose when ordering so try to choose the shortest (although we’ve spent quite some time stuck behind an indecisive couple).

There is also a menu behind the staff to help you choose. That said, if you have bad eyesight like myself, it will be hard to see what exactly they have to offer.

Purchase from a trip to buy weed at SQDC Montreal
Purchase from a trip to buy weed at SQDC Montreal ©TheHighBlog

If you have a specific strain and brand in mind, you can go ahead and ask for it. They usually never have my first few choices so I end up asking if they have a “strong indica” or “mellow sativa“.

Don’t expect the staff to go into specifics; they’re almost always in a rush and seem as if they’re not allowed to speak too much about the product. They’re friendly, but it’s best to do your research on your own beforehand.

Purchasing cannabis at the SQDC

Once your order is picked, the staff will take it to the cash or hand it over to the cashier. When you buy weed at SQDC Montreal, they also have rolling papers, and accessories available at the cash.

You can choose to take a paper bag and a receipt and you’re all good to go.

Smoking weed in Montreal

Since there’s still a bit of stigma and rules about where you can smoke in Montreal, you might be wondering where you can go to smoke the weed you just bought at the SQDC.

Never fear! Take the next left after the SQDC and you’ll shortly see Montreal’s Dorchester Square.

Laid out beautifully with cute stairs and benches galore, you’ll likely see fellow customers partaking in their purchases.

Square Dorchester. Photo credit: Jeangagnon

This is a great park to relax and sample some of what the SQDC has to offer without having to roll one up right on the busy downtown sidewalks. Folks in the park are friendly, and we’ve had pleasant chats with a couple fellow smokers while there.

Take caution though since there will likely be some beggers hanging out and depending on the day, there might be some art exhibits.

To Wrap This Up

A trip to buy weed at SQDC Montreal is very different than visiting the coffee shops in Amsterdam.

While the experience can be underwhelming, Quebec is known for having some of the cheapest prices for cannabis in Canada, so a trip to the SQDC isn’t entirely worthless.

On the other hand, you can also buy weed at SQDC Montreal online.

We’ll be reviewing some of our recent purchases from the SQDC so stay tuned!


Would/do you buy weed at SQDC Montreal? What are your thoughts?