The gap between what Canadians pay for legal and illicit cannabis is widening -- a sign experts say points to the need for the marijuana industry to make prices a priority this year.
The arrival of legal cannabis edibles, vapes and other products in Ontario won't necessarily meet the government's stated goal of cutting into the black market, according to industry observers.
The provincial government cited health concerns for postponing the products, which fall under the second phase of Canada鈥檚 cannabis legalization, involving the sale of edibles and other derivatives.
Canadians spent about $908 million on non-medical cannabis in the first year since legalization, but online sales dropped as more brick-and-mortar locations opened, said Statistics Canada.
On Saturday, a silent protest and customer appreciation event was held in light of the letter 鈥� part of which states: "the province has implemented its recreational cannabis infrastructure and has left the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation as the sole authority to distribute recreational cannabis in the province."
The Ontario government is considering a plan that would abandon the maligned lottery process that has left it with only two-dozen legal pot shops, and instead pivot as early as January to a system that could lay the groundwork for up to a thousand stores in the province, according to a person directly familiar with the matter.
Citing significant financial losses and overly restrictive federal regulations, the New Brunswick government is looking for a private operator take over its distribution and sales of recreational cannabis.
The Ontario government's inability to develop sufficient retail capacity for cannabis products is forcing Canopy Growth Corp. to revise its fourth-quarter guidance as Canada's market is 'is simply not living up to expectations,' says the company's CEO.
