Ontario’s cannabis store openings slow as legal pot’s share of sales up: OCS

TORONTO — Ontario’s cannabis distributor says the number of pot shop openings is still growing but at a slower pace than previously seen.

The Ontario Cannabis Store says the number of authorized marijuana retailers open for business in the province increased by 20 per cent between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, compared to 34 per cent in the three months prior. The OCS says the province now has 1,333 pot shops open, up from 1,115 at the end of September.

The new figures contained in the OCS’s quarterly report also show shoppers chose brick-and-mortar stores for 96 per cent of their recreational cannabis purchases in the distributor’s third quarter, with $383 million in sales and 57 million grams of pot sold in stores across the province.

The OCS says nearly 59 per cent of the province’s cannabis purchases were made through legal channels, up from 54 per cent during the quarter before and 43 per cent a year ago.

Dried flower accounted for 49 per cent of sales, trailed by 20 per cent for pre-rolls, 16 per cent for vapes and five per cent for edibles.

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