Legal Marijuana Shortage Hits Canada Within First Week of Legalization
Despite extensive preparations for the start of nationwide legalization, Canada experienced a shortage of legal marijuana by the end of the very first week of the reform. Just two days after legalization was announced, many stores across various regions reported running out of marijuana due to extremely high demand. Both regional authorities and industry representatives are now working to resolve supply issues and restock stores.
On October 17, millions of people lined up outside retail marijuana stores—or prepared to shop online, as each province launched its own e-commerce platform—to get their hands on legal marijuana on the very first day of legalization. Unfortunately, by the second day, it became clear that even with all the preparations, the initial supply at distribution points was not enough to meet public demand. In some surprising cases, products sold out before the end of the first day, highlighting the overwhelming interest in legalization among Canadians.
Early Shortages Across Provinces
The first reports of shortages came from stores in Newfoundland and Labrador, where by Wednesday evening, half of the government-certified shops had to close. One business owner told the press that customers bought up all available stock so quickly that by 4:20 p.m., he had nothing left to sell. Many store owners are now unsure where to source more product, while customers are frustrated by the lack of legal marijuana—not just in physical stores, but also online.
“Of course, I’m shocked that the product ran out so fast. But I feel even worse for the people who waited in line all night and still didn’t get what they wanted,” said Thomas Clarke, owner of THC Distribution in Portugal Cove. “My wholesale suppliers promised more deliveries by the end of the week, but now they’re telling me their warehouses are empty too.” Clarke noted that he was supposed to receive a shipment before legalization day, but last-minute changes in delivery schedules left his store with a minimal selection.
Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories
A similar situation unfolded in Quebec, where many government-run stores closed their doors while long lines of customers were still waiting, having sold out their entire stock. Some stores remained open but offered only a limited selection due to high demand and supplier delays. As one frustrated resident told The Montreal Gazette, “After this fiasco, it’s safe to say the legal market lost its first battle to the black market on day one.”
In Saskatchewan, most stores—mainly located in larger cities—didn’t open on time because suppliers failed to deliver product for the launch. In the Northwest Territories, the only government-certified marijuana store sold out completely by the evening of October 17.
Online Store Struggles
Online stores managed by regional authorities in Ontario, British Columbia, and Nunavut also faced supply issues. Customers reported that not only did the websites crash several times on launch day, but by the end of the week, many products and strains were sold out. For example, in Ontario, the selection of strains shrank rapidly within hours, until only products from a single grower remained. In British Columbia, cheaper strains and pre-rolled joints disappeared first, followed by more expensive products by the end of the day. Even in sparsely populated Nunavut, the government store’s website crashed multiple times due to high traffic, and by week’s end, all marijuana was sold out.
One private online retailer sold marijuana by reservation and had already stopped accepting orders by legalization day. On the first day of the reform, the company reported sales totaling $50,000. In Alberta, stores sold out of all therapeutic marijuana oil extracts, while in Nova Scotia, customers could still find limited batches of rare strains and extracts.
Postal Strike Worsens the Shortage
The shortage was further aggravated by an ongoing strike at Canada Post, which was responsible for delivering online orders. Although deliveries continued, the lack of working couriers led to warnings of possible delays of several days.
Experts Predicted the Shortage
Ironically, earlier in the month, researchers from the University of Waterloo published a study warning of a serious risk of legal marijuana shortages once legalization began. In one survey, an anonymous grower admitted that commercial growers would not be able to supply “even a third of the amount needed to meet potential demand.” The researchers had predicted shortages by the end of October, not by the end of the first week, as actually happened.
While the situation is slowly improving—many stores managed to arrange additional deliveries over the weekend—industry representatives are now concerned that supplies originally expected to last until the end of the year may not even make it through the current month if demand remains this high.