Ontario will rely on private sector to sell recreational cannabis

The turnaround on retail sales was welcomed by the cannabis industry as a more practical solution
The Toronto Star (Canada)
Monday, August 13, 2018

Premier Doug Ford is giving up Ontario’s monopoly on weed, opening sales of recreational cannabis to private stores by April 1 in a dramatic shift that will make this province the biggest prize for Canada’s emerging legal marijuana industry. The move scraps the defeated Liberal government’s plan for 150 brick-and-mortar Ontario Cannabis Stores, modelled on LCBO outlets, by 2020. However, until a private retail system is in place, the OCS website will be the only legal source for recreational pot smokers in Ontario after cannabis use is legalized nationwide on Oct. 17. The Ontario Cannabis Store will also keep its standing as the sole wholesale distributor for private marijuana retailers who make the grade.