All the pot stories from CBC P.E.I. this historic week

The recently improbable and somewhat abstract idea of cannabis legalization is now reality. 

Love it or hate it, legalization was the biggest story across Canada this week.

Here's a roundup of CBC P.E.I.'s stories about the rollout of marijuana. 

Are we ready? 

As the week began there were questions about cannabis supply and delivery. 

Islanders got an idea of what the government-run cannabis stores looked like as media got a sneak peek Monday. Only those 19 and over would be allowed inside and the stores' policy banning any photos or video was emphasized. 

Purolator has the contract to deliver pot on P.E.I. and said it was confident it is ready. Its drivers had to have extra training to confirm Islanders accepting pot deliveries are over 19 and have ID to prove it. 

The Charlottetown Airport put up signs informing travellers they can take up to 30 grams of cannabis on domestic flights — they won't hassle you or even ask you about it. No pot on international flights though, even if consumption is legal at your destination — California, for instance.

Hoot, hit and rip

A guide to talk about marijuana without sounding like a total fuddy-duddy offered a primer on pot lingo. 

Wednesday was the big day, and CBC reported on the hubbub as the province's three government-run cannabis stores opened (a fourth store in O'Leary is still under construction and is expected to open in November).

There were lineups of an hour or more to get in, and some issues with IDs.

Clayton Tierney was first in line at the Charlottetown store, but his driver's license was expired and he wasn't even allowed in. Although we didn't get his exact age, Tierney shared that he'd been convicted for possession of pot in 1974 and is quite obviously over 19.

Another woman's government-issued photo ID from Quebec was rejected at the Charlottetown store — she was unable to shop. Rebecca Kelly's Quebec health card acts as a voluntary ID for people who don't have other photo ID in Quebec, but scanners at the P.E.I. store wouldn't scan her card. The province apologized, saying staff was just being cautious, and said Kelly's ID will be accepted if she returns. 

However, according to P.E.I. Finance Minister Heath MacDonald who is in charge of the province's pot portfolio, there were no major glitches on day one, so he was "pretty pleased so far" with how it went. MacDonald confirmed he, personally, does not plan to start using cannabis. 

Sales of $150K

First-day sales at the P.E.I. stores were tallied by Thursday morning — they sold $152,408,35 of cannabis products, with the Charlottetown store seeing the most sales.

After the initial rush, attention was given to other things being done to cash in on cannabis legalization. 

Four hemp growers on P.E.I. are selling 200 hectares, or 500 acres, of hemp flowers and leaves to B.C.'s Emerald Health Therapeutics to extract CBD — that's a compound in marijuana and hemp which does not produce a high or intoxication, according to Health Canada. CBD is widely touted as therapeutic.  

'High' prices

As the shoppers rushed home with their treasures, some stopped to check their receipts and thought the prices were a bit steep — about $7.80 to $15, before tax. 

The first man in line to buy pot in Charlottetown, Robert MacNeill, said the price was in some cases double the price dealers were charging on the black market before legalization. The province defended the price, saying its pot is safe and high quality, as well as generating revenue for the province. 

Some customers also weren't too thrilled the government stores were scanning their IDs as they entered the store. 

After complaints, P.E.I.'s Information and Privacy Commissioner Karen Rose has launched an investigation into whether government-run cannabis stores are collecting personal data. P.E.I. Cannabis insists it is not collecting data, and customers have nothing to worry about. 

ID scanners removed

After the ID scanners were checked and it was revealed that some customers' personal information was, in fact, stored in the devices, the province wiped the data and stopped using the scanners. Staff will now check ID the same way they do at the liquor stores — with their eyes.

Finance Minister Heath MacDonald said the scanners will be gone for good, unless there's some other need or reason to bring them back.

"If there's technicalities that we're not aware of that these systems are utilizing, then we shouldn't be utilizing the system. And that's exactly why we're pulling the plug on it," he said. 

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