Canadian Cannabis Supplies Are Going Up in Smoke
Now that the Great White North has gone Green, it may be a good time to check in to see how Canada is faring with cannabis legalization. Did they suffer multiple mass shootings and numerous racist gerrymandered elections of questionable validity? No, that was us. The worst problem that seems to have developed up there is… they are running out of weed.
Weed became available for purchase in stores and online on October 17, and since then, Canadians are racking up the purchases with moose-sized enthusiasm. Shopify, the e-commerce provider of software used for online cannabis sales in some provinces, said that on the first day, Canadians were placing orders online at the rate of more than 100 per minute .
Now nearly a month in, shortages are becoming more widespread. The New York Times reports that at least three provinces—New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec—are facing shortages so severe that some retail outlets are temporarily shutting down. In Montreal, unregulated cannabis procurement specialist (AKA weed dealers) are capitalizing on the shortfall by lowering prices and offering home delivery. The Ontario Cannabis Store, a government-run retailer, reported more than 150,000 orders in their first week. In Quebec, the 12 government-run dispensaries have been ordered to close three days a week until supplies can be replenished. In New Brunswick, half of the 20 government-run dispensaries were ordered closed due to supply shortages.
Part of the problem is the number of licensed producers. 132 companies have been approved to grow and sell cannabis to retailers, […]
