What does 'unmistakably Nova Scotian' weed smell like? Pine needles and citrus

Nova Scotia's budding marijuana industry has produced the first legal strain of homegrown cannabis.

The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation started selling Skosha this week. Breathing Green Solutions developed the strain at its Wentworth Valley plant over the last five years.

"We want to give local consumers a cannabis option that is unmistakably Nova Scotian," co-founder Joe Sanford said in a news release. 

"We're excited to offer recreational consumers distinctly local cannabis options which follow in our province's tradition of creating incredible local products."

Skosha Nor'Easter is a sativa-dominated variety with 20 percent THC and 0.07 percent CBD. Breathing Green Solutions says it "expresses aromas of pine needles, spice and citrus."

Skosha Shelter is a milder indica strain with five per cent THC and eight per cent CBD. It delivers a "piney, citrusy aroma with undertones of rose and wood."

THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, makes people feel high. CBD, or cannabidiol, doesn't.  

Big demand for local bud

Bev Ware, a spokesperson for the NSLC, said Nova Scotians have been asking for local cannabis.

"We've been keen on carrying Nova Scotia product all along, but it wasn't available when we issued our first purchase orders in August," she said Wednesday.

Producers need one Health Canada licence to produce marijuana and a second licence to sell it. Breathing Green Solutions is the first Nova Scotia company to do that, but Ware said others could get the licences soon. Breathing Green is also working on other local strains that NSLC plans to sell.

Skosha Nor'Easter will be sold online and at the NSLC cannabis stores in Amherst, New Glasgow, Truro and on Clyde Street in Halifax.

"As soon as Breathing Green has more product available to us, we'll be offering it at all of our cannabis stores," Ware said.

Sanford said in an interview that Breathing Green can't easily ramp up production.

"We can only produce what we're allowed to here in our facility," he said. "We can't really cram plants in. It hurts the growing method here, so we're strictly focused on producing the quality product out of our facility."

One thing Nova Scotians won't be able to find at NSLC cannabis stores is a "made in Nova Scotia" section like you'd find for beer, wine or spirits.

"We can't approach it in the same way because by federal regulation we're not allowed to market cannabis or advertise cannabis," Ware said.

"But certainly in our employees' conversations with our customers, we'll be thrilled to be able to speak with them about the fact that we do carry Nova Scotia product if they're interested. We'll be able to talk to them about the product to see if it might be something that provides the experience that they're looking for."