Finding a Licensed Cannabis Store in Toronto and Ontario

There is no national cannabis store directory. Each province and territory licenses its own retail, so a search for a “cannabis store near me” is only a starting point: the legal check is the regulator’s own list for the jurisdiction you are in. This page starts with Toronto and Ontario, then explains how the other provinces differ and lists their official starting points. You must meet the local minimum age (19 in Ontario, 18 in Alberta, 21 in Quebec), and this page names no commercial shops.

Finding a licensed cannabis store in Toronto and Ontario

Ontario describes its model as tightly regulated private retail. In person, cannabis can be bought only from retailers the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has authorized. Online, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) is the only legal source, and the OCS site asks visitors to confirm by birthdate that they are at least 19. The City of Toronto’s cannabis page says the same about stores: only those licensed by the AGCO may sell cannabis.

How to check that a store is authorized

1. Use the AGCO map of cannabis stores. The AGCO’s cannabis page describes a map of stores that are authorized to sell, have an application in progress, or have been cancelled. A store with an application in progress has not been authorized yet, and a cancelled one is no longer a legal seller. The AGCO also keeps a list of current retail store applications.
2. Look for the official cannabis retail seal. Ontario says authorized retailers must display it. Treat the seal as a second check after the AGCO map.
3. Expect to be 19 or over. Ontario sets 19 as the minimum age to buy cannabis. For OCS deliveries, Ontario says you must verify your age to accept the order and that no package is left unattended at the door.
4. Use the OCS for online orders. Ontario calls OCS.ca the only legal way to buy cannabis online. A different website that offers delivery in Ontario is not the OCS.

The AGCO’s authorization page adds one condition that is easy to observe: a cannabis store must be the only business at its location, so it cannot share space with a restaurant or a pharmacy.

What the City of Toronto says

The City’s page states that cannabis stores must be at least 150 metres from public and private schools, with colleges and universities exempt, and that no minimum distance is required between cannabis stores. It sends complaints about licensed stores to the AGCO and reports of unlicensed stores or street sales to the Toronto Police Service non-emergency line. It does not describe a City licence for cannabis retail, so the AGCO is the body to check.

Ontario compared with other provinces

Ontario mixes private stores in person with a government online channel. Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories use government retail, while Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Yukon use private stores. The province-by-province buying guide and the laws comparison cover the differences in more detail.

How does legal cannabis retail work?

Provinces and territories oversee distribution and sale under the federal Cannabis Act. Health Canada’s provincial table, which carries a 26 October 2022 page date, shows three patterns:

• Private licensed stores in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut and Yukon, in person and online.
• Government-run retail in New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, in person and online.
• A mix in British Columbia (government stores in person and online, plus licensed private stores in person), Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario (private stores in person, government online).

Manitoba adds a rule of its own: cannabis and alcohol are not sold alongside each other. In Saskatchewan the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority regulates retail and a permittee who sells to a minor faces a $2,250 fine.

Where do I check that a store is authorized?

Use the regulator or public retailer in this table. These are the links Health Canada’s table gives for each jurisdiction’s store list or retail information. Because the table is dated 2022, confirm that a link still works.

Province or territory	Minimum age	Official starting point
Alberta	18	AGLC licensee search
British Columbia	19	BC Cannabis Stores locations and the provincial map of legal stores
Manitoba	19	LGCA store list
New Brunswick	19	Cannabis NB stores
Newfoundland and Labrador	19	Provincial store locator
Northwest Territories	19	NTLCC where to buy
Nova Scotia	19	NSLC cannabis stores
Nunavut	19	Government of Nunavut retailer list
Ontario	19	AGCO authorized store status
Prince Edward Island	19	PEI Cannabis Management Corporation
Quebec	21	SQDC stores
Saskatchewan	19	SLGA authorized sellers
Yukon	19	Government of Yukon cannabis information

We opened the Manitoba list and the pages for British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island directly. The other links come from Health Canada’s table; several provincial sites blocked our automated check.

What are the signs of an illegal seller?

British Columbia and Ontario publish clear markers.

• Excise stamp. B.C. says a legal product carries a provincial excise stamp: without a stamp, it is not legal. Health Canada’s table also lists a stamp colour for each jurisdiction.
• Retail seal. Ontario requires authorized stores to display the official cannabis retail seal and keeps an official list through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
• Online red flags. B.C. lists no licensed physical location, no age verification on the website, shipping outside the province and payment only by e-transfer or cryptocurrency, and medicinal claims without a federal licence.

Buying from an unauthorized source in Ontario could bring a fine of up to $100,000, up to one year in prison, or both. For the rules on age and how much you may carry, see the age and possession table and the province-by-province comparison.

What we could not confirm

• The AGCO map itself. The AGCO describes it on its cannabis page, but the map is hosted on a separate site that we did not open, so we cannot say how to search it or how often it is updated.
• Where the retail seal must be placed. Ontario says authorized stores must display the seal. The page we read does not say whether it goes in the window or at the counter.
• ID checks in stores. Ontario sets the minimum age at 19. The pages we read do not describe how stores check age in person.
• Store numbers. None of the official pages we opened gives a store count with a date, so this page gives none.
• Delivery details. Ontario’s buying page, last updated 29 June 2022, covers age verification on delivery. We did not confirm delivery times, fees or current OCS order terms.
• Ontario’s page “Where recreational cannabis is sold”. The address we tried returned a not-found error, so it was not used.