As the calendar rolls over into the third year of cannabis legalization, Ontario has finally reached 200 licensed cannabis retailers.
Now that the Alcohol, Gaming and Cannabis Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has been approving licences at a rate of 20 per month, the number of stores is climbing fast. According to a news release from the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), the increased accessibility provided by the increasing amount of stores has been a boon when it comes to beating out the illicit market. Additionally, the OCS’s delivery service reaches 75% of adults in Ontario, and after achieving its goal of beating the average price of illicit online retailers, Ontario commanded a 25% share of the cannabis in the first quarter of 2020.
In all of 2019, barely 20 retail store authorizations were granted, and the province only hit the 100 store mark in June, but by the end of 2020 there could be as many as 250 stores.