Online cannabis portals bracing for surge

TORONTO — As many as 100 locations across the country may be ready to sell cannabis on Wednesday when recreational pot is legalized across the country, but most Canadians’ first purchase of legal pot will likely be at the click of a button.

Provincial and territorial governments and private retailers say they believe they’re ready for the surge of online shoppers, but it is unclear how high pot demand will actually be. The first purchases of pot when online portals open at 12:01 local time on Oct. 17 will make Canada one of the few countries in the world to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis, and marks a historical shift in the country’s drug policy. The cannabis market in Canada, including medical, illegal and legal recreational products is expected to generate up to $7.17 billion in total sales in 2019, according to a recent Deloitte report.

Of that amount, legal sales are expected to contribute more than half, up to $4.34 billion, in the first year, Deloitte added.

Under Canada’s framework for medical marijuana, the only legal way to purchase the drug is online directly from licensed producers for home delivery and ecommerce is likely to play a major role for recreational cannabis as well.

The final number of pot outlets that will be ready for Oct. 17 remains hazy, but an estimated 35 per cent of the country’s population is expected to have access to a cannabis outlet within 10 kilometres or less of their home during the fourth quarter of 2018, a recent Statistics Canada study showed. That compares to 90 per cent of Canadians being within 10 kilometres of a liquor store currently, Statscan said.