17 December 2018 - Cannabis Shortage in Canada
Trudeau says cannabis shortage likely to be resolved within a year
(Global News, 14/12/2018)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the biggest challenge associated with the legalization of cannabis has been the supply shortage – but he expects it to disappear within a year.
In an end-of-year interview with The Canadian Press Friday, Trudeau predicted the problem would be resolved “during the coming months and perhaps the coming year.” He noted the scarcity of cannabis was most pronounced in Ontario and Quebec.
Trudeau said he remains unhappy with Quebec legislation introduced this month that would raise the legal age for cannabis consumption to 21 from 18.
With cannabis still scarce in Alberta, pot shop owners are holding on
(CBC News, 11/12/2018)
As cannabis shortages persist across the country, Alberta retailers are limiting store hours and some are giving up on opening new shops.
Last month, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis said it would not issue any new cannabis retail licences because of the ongoing shortage. It also temporarily suspended new applications.
Twenty-eight applications have since been withdrawn, said AGLC spokeswoman Chara Goodings. All 28 were given a full refund for the licensing fees — about $4,100 each, she said.
Alberta Won't Issue Any New Pot Store Licences Due To The Weed Shortage
(The Huffington Post Canada, 22/11/2018)
Alberta's cannabis Crown corporation has stopped issuing any new pot retail licences after only receiving 20 per cent of the stock it ordered amid a Canada-wide supply shortage.
The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission had ordered enough cannabis product to stock up to 250 recreational pot shops for the first six months of legalization.
"While some licensed producers have fulfilled their commitments, not all have," said AGLC president and chief executive Alain Maisonneuve in a statement on Wednesday.
Canada’s cannabis shortage is so severe retailers watch 24/7 for chance to scoop up fresh supply
Kristine Owram (Financial Post, 26/11/2018)
Desperate times call for desperate measures in Canada’s supply-constrained pot industry.
National Access Cannabis Corp., the country’s largest private marijuana retailer with 17 stores, has a team of five people watching 24/7 for new inventory from Alberta’s provincial regulator, which controls wholesale pot distribution.
“At 3:30 in the morning all of a sudden $4,000 worth of inventory is made available yet in seven minutes it’s drawn down, meaning that other big competitors are doing the same thing,” Mark Goliger, chief executive officer of Ottawa-based NAC, said in a phone interview Friday.