The Ontario Broker - April 2019 - 14

TRAVELING BACK IN
TIME WITH CANNABIS

2017
APRIL 13

The Liberal Government announced that
cannabis would be sold through stand-alone
stores, run by a new Crown Corporation,
The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation, a
subsidiary of the LCBO. They planned to have
opened 40 of these LCBO-run stores for the
original day of legalization July 1, 2018, then
80 by 2019, and a total of 150 by 2020.

Bill C-45, titled The Cannabis Act, is introduced
to Parliament. It establishes that legal sales can
take place through the mail or through retail
outlets, which would be handled through the
provincial government. It also established that
people would be permitted to grow up to four
plants for their personal use.

SEPTEMBER

2018
APRIL

The PC Party won the provincial election.
During his campaign, Doug Ford indicated
his preference for allowing cannabis to be
sold by private retailers. At the same time,
Bill C-45 went through multiple rounds
of amendments, causing the date of
legalization to be pushed back.

AUGUST
The Cannabis Act came into effect,
allowing adults to possess up to 30 grams
of cannabis. The first legal purchases of
recreational cannabis are made through
the OCS website.

DECEMBER

The Government revealed the first four locations
of their stores - now to operate under the
name, The Ontario Cannabis Store - in Guelph,
Kingston, Thunder Bay and Toronto.

THE DIRECTION
OF RETAIL
DISTRIBUTION
OF CANNABIS
IN ONTARIO HAS
SHIFTED COURSE
A NUMBER OF
TIMES OVER
THE PAST TWO
YEARS. THE
FUTURE OF THE
INDUSTRY MAY
BE HAZY, BUT
THE CONSTANT
SO FAR HAS
BEEN CHANGE.

JUNE

Premier Doug Ford announced that on the day of
legalization, cannabis will only be available through
the Ontario Cannabis Store's online portal. The
rollout of brick-and-mortar stores was delayed until
April 2019, when Ontario would instead implement
a system of private-sector distribution.

OCTOBER 17
Though the government had previously said
there wouldn't be a limit on the number of
licences issued for cannabis retail stores,
they announce a phased approach, issuing
only 25 licences for April 1, issued regionally
through a lottery system. This measure was
in response to supply shortages across the
country.

2019

Ten retail locations open, including Hunny
Pot, which was the only retail location
ready to open in Toronto, where five of the
25 licences were allocated. The majority
of the locations openings were delayed,
despite the threat of incurring steep fines.

APRIL 2019

APRIL 1

14

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The Ontario Broker - April 2019

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