CANNABIS SHORTAGES ON DAY 2.
TORONTO • Marijuana retailers were running low or were cleaned out completely by the end of the second day of legal sales, and the shortfall could last for months.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries said Thursday it is expecting product shortages in both brick-and-mortar and online stores could last “up to at least six months.”
“Every province — not just Manitoba — is receiving substantially less cannabis than originally requested ... Retailers in Manitoba will be receiving staggered shipments over the next few weeks (some daily) in an effort to meet their requests,” said a spokeswoman for the Manitoba Crown corporation.
Quebec Cannabis Corp. said Thursday that some items are unavailable on its website and it expects further product shortages.
“Given the craze created by the legalization of cannabis and the scarcity of products across Canada, the (corporation) expects significant short-term supply challenges,” it said.
Alberta and Prince Edward Island also said certain products have sold out online, and Nova Scotia said it ran out of certain strains.
Retailers saw long lineups and a wave of online purchases as Canadians rushed to make their first purchase of legal recreational pot and witness the historic moment.
Cannabis industry players and watchers had warned that there would be shortages amid supply chain issues, but the actual appetite of Canadian consumers for legal pot was unclear until Wednesday.
By most accounts from provinces that did provide figures, demand was high.
On the first day of legalization, Quebec’s Crown cannabis corporation had recorded more than 12,500 in-store transactions and 30,000 online orders, which “far exceeds” expectations.
In Alberta, where private retailers handle in-store sales, the government-run website processed 8,300 orders as of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, worth approximately $730,000, a spokeswoman for the province’s gaming, liquor and cannabis commission.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford had said on Wednesday morning that its online store had handled 38,000 orders since its midnight launch.
Consumers going to B.C.’s website on Wednesday were told that several strains were sold out and B.C.’s only retail location in Kamloops ran out of one variety.