N.S. government says even more cannabis dispensaries than originally estimated

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s justice minister says there are more illegal cannabis dispensaries in the province than the 118 the government had initially estimated — though he won’t say how many.

The real number is in flux, Scott Armstrong told reporters Thursday following a cabinet meeting. His vague comments are the latest in the series of confusing statements government members have made over the past few weeks to defend their crackdown on illegal cannabis shops.

“I’m not going to give you a number …. But I can tell you it is bigger than the first number we released,” Armstrong said, adding that new illegal shops have opened since he issued a directive on Dec. 4 for Nova Scotia police to prioritize cannabis enforcement. On that day he also wrote to 13 Mi’kmaq chiefs requesting their co-operation as police tackle what he called a growing public safety problem.

That directive, however, has led to criticism from First Nations communities that the government may be interfering with law enforcement to target Indigenous Peoples.

Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Michelle Glasgow has said she was “appalled” by the directive. In response, she has banned the premier, justice minister and minister of L’nu affairs from band territory. Last month, she said Premier Tim Houston has “continued to radicalize colonial practices to suppress our community and fellow Mi’kmaw by forming laws that direct harm against us.”

A number of critics have raised concerns about the directive including the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, legal experts and Becky Druhan — the former justice minister under Houston who quit the Tory caucus in October to sit as an Independent.

Houston has repeatedly said Mi’kmaq cannabis operations are not being targeted, and that all unlicensed cannabis is illegal. On Dec. 4, Armstrong said there were 118 illegal cannabis shops operating across the province.

On Thursday, Armstrong said the Justice Department conducts “routine intelligence” to track illegal dispensaries, but declined to give details. “I can tell you the problem is growing, we continue to see more (dispensary) openings,” Armstrong said.

Houston repeated his assertion Thursday that illegal cannabis represents a serious harm to Nova Scotians.

“It’s not regulated, it’s not tested. It’s dangerous. And guess what? It’s a big, big industry with significant cash involved. These are cash businesses, and if anyone thinks that there is not organized crime standing behind this massive cash business in this province, then I don’t know what to tell you. Because it’s obvious that there’s organized crime involved,” Houston said.

“And if anyone thinks that organized crime is not also involved in the trafficking of human beings, I don’t know what to tell you,” he added.

A spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Police said Thursday the force is not investigating any files in which human trafficking and unregulated cannabis sales are connected.

A Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson said the Mounties are not aware of evidence of a direct connection between human trafficking and illegal cannabis markets, “but both crimes can coexist. That means overlap is possible, even if not documented today.”

Houston has previously said a police officer told him that unregulated cannabis was tested and “was laced with traces of fentanyl.” But the Halifax Regional Police and Nova Scotia RCMP both say they have no record of test results indicating seized cannabis had been laced with the opioid.

Armstrong said he’s hearing from constituents who are concerned about the dangers of unregulated cannabis, and that he’s aware of people having “a bad reaction” to the drug.

“I was speaking to a father this week that lost a son who had cannabis in his system. We don’t know if that’s what caused the death … my heart goes out to him, he’s very concerned that that (cannabis) probably led to that death,” he said.

His department did not immediately respond to followup questions about what this constituent apparently told Armstrong, or if the justice minister has any evidence of cannabis contributing to someone’s death in Nova Scotia.

Druhan, meanwhile, said Thursday the province’s decision to strictly control the sale of cannabis through Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. outlets has contributed to the boom in dispensaries. She said the government should open the market to privately run cannabis shops, which she said would increase legal and safe access to the product.

“We have one of the most, if not the most, restrictive (cannabis) regulatory regimes in the country. Which means there is a monopoly here, there is no pathway for small community operators to become regulated and licensed,” she said, adding that many parts of Nova Scotia don’t have close access to legal cannabis shops.

There are 51 legal cannabis outlets across the province; one is located on a First Nations reserve.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press