Cannabis in Saint John
Saint John adds no consumption rules to New Brunswick's: cannabis use is limited to private property, with no designated smoking areas or park exceptions. Where the city does act is zoning, which since May 2018 keeps cannabis stores 300 metres from schools and 1,000 metres from each other, and its history runs from police raids on a cluster of dispensaries in 2017 to an Uptown store in 2024.
Where can you use cannabis in Saint John?
Only on private property. New Brunswick bans consuming cannabis in any form in places the public can access, so the Uptown streets, the harbour boardwalk, Rockwood Park and patios are all off limits. We found no Saint John bylaw that carves out exceptions.
You can use cannabis at home, in your yard, at an occupied campsite, or in someone else's home with their permission. The full provincial rules are on our New Brunswick page.
How does Saint John zone cannabis stores?
Council amended the Zoning By-law in April 2018, effective May 7, to make cannabis retail its own land use. It is allowed only in certain commercial zones, and the definitions of general retail and convenience stores specifically exclude it, so cannabis can't simply be added to a corner store's shelves.
Section 9.21 then sets two distances, both measured property line to property line. Grow facilities have their own rules: indoors only, no outdoor storage, and at least 150 metres from any residential zone or school.
| Rule | Distance |
|---|---|
| Cannabis store to a K-8 or 9-12 school lot | At least 300 m |
| Cannabis store to another cannabis store | At least 1,000 m |
| Production facility to a residential zone or school lot | At least 150 m |
How did Saint John handle cannabis before and after legalization?
Saint John moved earlier and harder against dispensaries than most Atlantic cities. In January 2017 police raided six dispensaries across the city and charged 12 people, then returned in March and raided four of the companies again, about two months after the first raids. The same spring, the city's planning department proposed allowing medical cannabis production facilities in medium and heavy industrial zones, three years after Moncton and Fredericton had made similar changes.
When legal sales began, the first two Greater Saint John sites were in established retail areas on Rothesay Avenue in the east and Fairville Boulevard on the west side, chosen by the province using a guideline of at least 300 metres from schools.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| January 2017 | Police raid six dispensaries; 12 people charged |
| March 2017 | Four of the same companies raided again |
| December 2017 | Province names Rothesay Avenue and Fairville Boulevard as the first local store sites |
| October 17, 2018 | Legal sales begin; first-day lineups in east Saint John ease by the second morning |
| April 2024 | Cannabis NB opens an Uptown store, part of a push into city centres against illegal sellers |
| January 2025 | Province seeks a private operator for a new store on Loch Lomond Road in east Saint John |
What should visitors to Saint John know?
If you arrive by cruise ship and your itinerary continues to a US port, don't carry cannabis back aboard: taking it across an international border is illegal in both directions, even when it's legal where you're going. The same applies to driving into Maine.
Within Canada you can fly with cannabis on domestic flights within the legal limit, but not on any flight that leaves the country. If you're comparing products, our label guide explains what the numbers mean, and our strain database covers what's on the shelves.
