Cannabis cultivation

In Québec, only companies or persons with a cultivation permit issued by Health Canada can legally grow cannabis.

Cannabis can be grown outdoors or indoors (in a greenhouse or closed room). Cannabis plants are usually planted in pots, hydroponic substrates or the ground.

Greenhouse cultivation has several advantages, including the ability to control the growing environment (light, humidity and temperature), which helps minimize mould problems, pest infestations and external contamination.

All our producers are Canadian, with priority given to Québec producers.

Life cycle of a cannabis plant

The life span of a cannabis plant is usually four to eight months, depending on various factors. The four stages of the life cycle are:

Germination:

Causing roots to grow from a cannabis seed or cutting until a shoot appears. Duration: one day to two weeks.

Transplanting :

Once the first roots have formed, the young sprout is transplanted in soil.

Vegetative state:

The plant’s roots, stems and leaves grow rapidly without producing flowers. Duration: two to eight weeks.

Flowering:

The flowering tops form and a cluster of buds develops along with pistils and trichomes. Duration: six to 14 weeks.

When mature, the flowers are inspected, trimmed and dried. They can then be smoked or vaporized, used to produce concentrates (oil, capsules, hash, etc.) or made into derivative products (drinks, edibles, etc.). Growing cannabis for personal use is banned in Québec, except for persons licensed to grow cannabis for personal medical purposes.

Product quality

To ensure the quality of products offered on the legal market, cannabis producers are required to meet several very strict requirements imposed by Health Canada. These include:

tight security (cameras, fences, surveillance system)
proper packaging, labelling, shipping, hygiene and safety (healthy growing environment, adequate ventilation, protective clothing, etc.)
a quality assurance system
a product recall procedure

All products sold at the SQDC are free of contaminants and pesticides not approved by Health Canada.

Producers also undergo mandatory regular inspections of their production facilities and practices. These thorough checks add another layer of safety compared with black market products and help minimize the health risks for users.

All products sold at the SQDC are grown under strictly controlled conditions, ensuring the grower produces traceable products of the highest quality. Before making their way onto our shelves, all products are analyzed by a certified laboratory and subject to quality control by professional chemists. Learn more.

Our producers

Our cannabis producers have been carefully selected and, as required by Canadian law, all are licensed by Health Canada to grow, transform and sell cannabis. They also have an certification/authorization from the Autorité des marchés publics.

All our producers are Canadian, with priority given to Québec producers.

Three categories
of cannabis

Indica, Sativa and hybrids: what’s the difference? Learn more about cannabis categories and hybrids and their many strains.

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The plant and
cannabinoids

Learn about the cannabis plant and the psychotropic and physical effects attributed to THC and CBD.

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Doing business
with the SQDC

Are you a supplier of goods or services and want to register as an SQDC supplier?

find out how