LCBO subsidiary to manage Ontario marijuana sales
The new rules may prompt a resurgence of illegal dispensaries
Friday, September 8, 2017
The Ontario government is launching a monopoly of cannabis stores as a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, a plan private retailers say will fail to crush the black market and challenge legal producers to keep up with the demand for recreational marijuana. The province pledged to open 40 stores next year and a total of 150 separate locations to sell legal weed across the province by 2020. The announcement comes as the federal Liberal government prepares to make good on its promise to legalize recreational use of the drug next summer. (See also: Ontario’s pot-store plan is legitimate – and pathetic)