The cost of having a vice

Some Dalhousie University students find themselves paying hundreds of dollars a month for alcohol, and prices show no sign of dropping. 

It’s not just booze. Nova Scotia’s Finance and Treasury Board reports that inflation for alcohol, tobacco and recreational cannabis prices has increased 0.9 per cent year-over-year. 

Even though prices are rising, many students are still buying.

A survey done by the Dalhousie Gazette received responses from 211 students. It found that 55.5 per cent of students regularly purchase alcohol and 24.0 per cent regularly purchase cannabis products. Just 6.3 per cent buy cigarettes.

Over 41 per cent of students say that they spend over $100 per month on their vices. 

“I’ve just resorted to buying kegs at this point, which is quite literally going to save me money in the longer run,” says Tim Panov, a second-year engineering major. Panov said he spends about $300 a month on alcohol. 

“A 40-pack of Keith’s is out of the budget. I don’t even want to look at it.”

Panov also finds that alcohol is more expensive in Nova Scotia than in his home province of Ontario. Prices listed online confirm that Nova Scotians are paying more for the same products than other Canadians. 

Take a 15-pack of Moosehead lager, for example. At the LCBO — Ontario’s liquor store — it costs about $35. At the NSLC, the same pack costs just over $41.

Jack Wachter, a third-year creative writing and theatre student at the University of King’s College, also says the cost of cannabis products is higher in Nova Scotia than in Ontario. 

“It’s a larger culture in Toronto, there are dispensaries on every fucking street,” Wachter said. “Here [the NSLC has] more of a corner on the market.”

Wachter sometimes cuts back on alcohol purchasing due to costs. 

“There’s definitely been moments where I was going to buy more booze, but I just saw how much it was and I bought less,” he says.

Some students opt to buy alcohol from the NSLC and drink before going out to bars and clubs, as it’s cheaper than buying drinks on nights out.

“If you drink at the bar, it adds up,” says fourth-year commerce student Miya McCann.

“I would rather drink at home before going to the bar just to avoid spending money on drinks there,” she says. “I feel like that’s better.”  McCann spends about $30 a month on alcohol.

Other students might also change their drink order when out at the bar to save money. 

“At the bar, I would rather get a bottle or can of beer,” says Sarah MacKinnon, a fourth-year marine biology student. “But sometimes mixed drinks are cheaper, so I just do that.” 

As for cannabis use, fourth-year neuroscience student Ewan MacKinnon says that NSLC shelves are being li

“It feels like the cheaper options are moving out and the more expensive options are the ones that are staying,” he says. 

While a June 2026 report from the NSLC says the average price per gram of cannabis has decreased,  McCann both still spends about $50 per month on it. 

Fallon O’Grady, a second-year biology and classics major at King’s, says she spends around $20 per month on cigarettes, opting for $5 packs made on reserves instead of purchasing them in the city. She says most of her friends do the same thing.

With bulk options available, cigarettes from reserves cost less than most sold in Halifax stores. A 20-pack of the popular brand Marlboro costs just over $20 in Nova Scotia, while smokers can get a 200-pack of Canadian Lights for $50 through Indigenous-associated vendors.

“I have stretched myself financially to buy a pack,” says O’Grady. “I was aware that I shouldn’t have been spending a lot of money and then still made the extra expense.”

Andrew Saoud, owner of Big General Store on South Street, says he’s noticed fewer students have been buying cigarettes in the last couple of years, and that more people are switching to alternatives.

“It’s dropped a lot in recent years because it’s expensive. A lot of people are switching to vapes or nicotine pouches,” says Saoud.

He says 15 to 20 students buy cigarettes from Big General daily.

For MacKinnon, a line is often drawn at overspending. 

“If I’m being careful about my money spending, I’m going to intentionally not buy alcohol over products that I need,” he says. “As I get older, I’ve realized that alcohol’s not everything.”