One year after pot legalization in Canada, the province of Ontario has been struggling to open brick-and-mortar stores that will legally sell recreational cannabis. 

There are no complaints from the black market, of course, as they seem to be thriving just fine. However, the Ontario government has plans to increase the number of pot stores in Ontario to help compete with the black market. The push for more cannabis retail by the Ontario government creates opportunities for those retailers that want to set up shop in the province.

Selling Pot Online and Over the Phone

The Government of Ontario announced on November 6, 2019, that it would allow pot stores in Ontario to sell cannabis online and over the phone. Buyers will be able to pick up their products in-store after ordering online or via phone. They will also be able to purchase cannabis edibles in pot stores, as edibles also became legal last month.

This is a big move forward for Ontario cannabis retailers. Adopting the click-and-connect sales model will almost certainly improve access to legal marijuana especially if the prices are competitive. They pledge not only to lift the cap of 25 stores that was set last December to allowing 75 stores to open this fall.

Pot Stores in Other Canadian Provinces

Other provinces in Canada also plan to open more retail stores for legal cannabis sales. All of them have more pot stores than Ontario, and they don’t seem to be slowing down with new brick-and-mortar locations.

With only 24 pot stores for 14.57 million people (40% of the entire population in Canada), Ontario has the fewest pot stores in the country. It trails Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba, all of which have a lot more legal retail stores. Northwest Territories has only five stores, but that’s one for every 9,000 out of 38,780 people.

The largest number of pot stores in Canada is based in the province of Alberta. This province that has 4.37 million people has more than 300 licensed private retail providers for cannabis sales.

Allowing Ontario to level the playing field opens up more opportunities for Cannabis retailers to set up shop and profit from their new venture.

Summary

Although the province of Ontario lags behind other Canadian provinces when it comes to selling legal retail cannabis, the Ontario government has made great strides in updating legislation and aiding cannabis retailers to open their doors for business in Ontario. 

Their plan for allowing 75 pot stores to open this fall in overly-populated Ontario, plus making pot readily available online and over the phone may prove to be a profitable proposition for those retailers that are interested in legally selling cannabis. 

Contact REDEV for more information about investing in retail in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.