“Regulate cannabis like beer and wine” is a pragmatic position backed by a lot of legalization advocates these days and, while the substances certainly aren’t identical, similar regulations make a lot of sense. We all want to keep cannabis and alcohol out of the hands of minors and voters and elected officials love creating new jobs and generating new tax revenue. While cannabis and alcohol share relatively comparable regulatory schemes in non-prohibition states (although marijuana businesses are subjected to even more stringent licensing and tracking rules), no licensed business has mixed both alcohol and cannabis sales together. That is about to change this October 17th, in Nova Scotia, Canada, as CTV News reported:

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. offered a glimpse inside one of its coming cannabis stores Wednesday, showcasing a unique retail hybrid not likely found anywhere else in the world. NSLC president and CEO Bret Mitchell took media on a tour of the cannabis store that’s inside the NSLC on Joseph Howe Drive in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia is the only jurisdiction that brings cannabis and alcohol sales under one roof. “We have a very unique situation here in Nova Scotia and one that’s definitely going to be setting the stage for the world,” said Mitchell inside the new cannabis store, located in a renovated section of the liquor store.

Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. expects cannabis sales, which will occur in 12 stores will double the companies sale numbers from $11.5 million to $22.5 million, so the combined sales will likely be very, very good for business. While prohibitionists will howl about the mixing of cannabis and alcohol, it is good to see Nova Scotia treat adults like adults. Hopefully, this will be a trend that will be replicated across Canada, the U.S., and the world.

Learn about the latest trends and developments in the cannabis industry at the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference this September 27th-28th in Portland, Oregon. Get your tickets by September 12th to save $200!