Hacker Attack Paralyzes Ontario Cannabis Stores

Recently, a hacker attack on the computer systems of Ontario’s network of cannabis stores—the province’s main government-run legal cannabis retailer—caused massive delivery delays across the region. According to store management, no customer personal data was compromised, but order deliveries throughout the province were paralyzed for several days.

“At this time, we are unable to accept or process your orders,” read a message on the store’s website last Friday.

In addition to individual customer deliveries, the attack also delayed shipments to more than 1,000 cannabis retail locations across the province, leading to temporary shortages of certain products in smaller towns.

In response to the incident, store management announced that customers would not be charged for delayed shipments. Similarly, private cannabis retailers who did not receive their shipments on time will not have to pay for delivery services through the end of September. The launch of some new products has also been postponed indefinitely until all potential website security issues are resolved.

“Right now, the entire provincial supply system is out of its normal operating mode, and it’s hard to predict when it will return to normal,” said Lisa Bigoni, owner of Stok’d Cannabis, which missed a week’s supply due to the attack. “Although the store is now accepting orders from retailers again, only reduced shipments are being sent out because of the strain on couriers. If someone attacks the system again, we could easily face another severe product shortage, just like at the very start of legalization.”

It’s worth noting that the databases of major legal cannabis retailers, especially regional government stores, have been targeted by large-scale cyberattacks before. For example, a similar incident occurred at the end of last year, when hackers disabled the delivery system of Saskatchewan’s provincial cannabis store. That incident happened just a week after hackers attacked Quebec’s computer system, taking down nearly 4,000 regionally administered websites.

However, cyberattacks are not the main threat to Canada’s cannabis supply. The biggest risk factor is the industry’s own business practices. According to recent data, significant amounts of unsold cannabis and related products are routinely destroyed to prevent spoilage and avoid selling at a loss. This practice allows stores to regulate product prices and ensure business survival, but it also leads to a growing amount of product being destroyed, since local businesses cannot export it or use it for other purposes.

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