Ontario Opening Cannabis Retail Market
The Government of Ontario is taking steps to move to an open market for retail cannabis stores beginning in January 2020. This will provide consumers with more choice and convenience and a safe, reliable supply of cannabis.
“In response to the federal government’s decision to legalize cannabis, our government is determined to open the cannabis market as responsibly as possible,” said Attorney General Doug Downey. “We have said all along that opening more legal stores is the most effective way to combat the illicit market, protect our kids and keep our communities safe. That is our number one priority.”
Removing the temporary cap on the number of private cannabis stores in the province and eliminating pre-qualification requirements for prospective retailers are some of the key changes the government has made to cannabis regulations. Other amendments include:
1) Increasing the ability of licensed producers to participate in the retail market and allowing them to open a store at one of their facilities. These changes enable more capital, experience and capacity to enter the market and will help more legal stores open faster.
2) Phasing in limits on the number of authorized stores a licence holder can have, to ensure fair access for retailers while creating medium and long-term market certainty.
3) Enabling retailers to sell additional cannabis-related items such as cannabis-related magazines and cookbooks.
Ref: https://news.ontario.ca/mag/en/2019/12/ontario-opening-cannabis-retail-market.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SUBSCRIBERS-Cannabis-Announcem&utm_source=Envoke-English&utm_keyword=Ontario-Government-announces-m
