Barely a day after the legalization of weed in Canada, the drug is no longer available in many places. So many Canadians and tourists came to the coffee shops that the supplies ran out within hours. Sites of certified stores got stuck and there too the stocks were sold out in no time.
Customers now probably have to wait weeks for their order. It is not clear when the deficits will be replenished.
In some large cities, coffee shops could not even open because they had insufficient stock. "I'm disappointed. The score is now 1 point for the black market, 0 points for the government, ”says a customer who waited in vain for hours at a coffee shop in Quebec.
Canada has over 120 certified producers. They have already considerably increased their production in the run-up to legalization, but that turns out to be far from enough. Researchers had already concluded that 3 times more cannabis must be produced to meet the demand.
“It is clearly a historic moment. Everyone is very enthusiastic. But the reality is, people will wake up tomorrow on the second day after legalization, and unfortunately most stores will remain closed, ”said Smoke Wallin, president of a cannabis company.
Billions business
Legalization is especially lucrative: in the small province of Nova Scotia alone, more than 500.000 euros were spent on weed on the first day. It also provides the government with a considerable amount of tax revenue. The cannabis market in Canada is expected to convert 5 billion this year, to 2024 that amount will have increased fivefold, experts expect.
Another side effect is the growth of drug tourism. Several holiday providers in Canada reported an increase in the number of visitors of 350 percent this week. Canna Tours, a startup that drives around for three hours for cannabis providers for 125 Canadian dollars tourists, saw a huge increase in the number of bookings and is thinking of expanding the offer with tours of weed growers.
Read the full article Nos.nl (source)
