Premier’s comment comes after renewed crackdown leads to ban from Sipekne’katik First Nation
From The Chronicle Herald by Ally Bowes December 17 2025
Information provided by Premier Tim Houston last week regarding illegal cannabis products has been contradicted by the Nova Scotia RCMP.
Following a cabinet meeting last week, Houston told reporters that products seized from illegal cannabis dispensaries in the province had tested positive for fentanyl.
“People in law enforcement have told me in this province they’ve taken illegal cannabis from unregulated, illegal dispensaries and tested it and found that it was laced with traces of fentanyl,” Houston said.
A later statement from the premier’s office said the comments were “based on personal conversations” and that “he received this information from a frontline police officer.”
However, when asked, the Nova Scotia RCMP said it was not aware of such findings.
In a statement Wednesday, the RCMP said that testing of seized products is conducted by Health Canada, adding that “the Nova Scotia RCMP is not aware of any fentanyl having been detected in cannabis products seized by the RCMP from illegal storefronts in the province.”
Despite this, they added that there is “always a risk it may contain unexpected or potentially harmful ingredients.”
Halifax Regional Police and Cape Breton Regional Police had similar answers when asked.
HRP said, “Based on the information currently available to us, no fentanyl has been found in any cannabis products seized by HRP from illegal storefronts.”
Health Canada said it’s not given information on the origins of products it samples. However, it could “attest that no sample containing both cannabis and fentanyl has ever been submitted to our laboratories from the province of Nova Scotia.”
Houston’s comments came after the provincial government announced a renewed crackdown on illegal cannabis storefronts, citing public safety concerns, ties to organized crime and the health risks associated with unregulated products. At the time, the premier pointed to alleged fentanyl contamination while discussing his rationale for enhanced enforcement, though no specific testing results were released at the time.
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