Ontario surpasses 200 Authorized Cannabis Stores on second anniversary of legalization

October 17, 2020 (TORONTO) – As the second year of legalization comes to an end, the progress we achieved as an industry is one that we should all take great pride. The OCS congratulates the Ontario cannabis industry on our second anniversary and appreciate our continued collective resolve to dramatically grow and improve the cannabis marketplace for consumers in the year ahead.

In the past year, OCS has grown its partnerships to over 80 Licensed Producers, providing more access points to legal cannabis than ever before with over 200 retail stores now open and a courier network that covers almost 75% of the adult population in Ontario through OCS.ca.

The sector achieved a critical milestone on pricing by beating the average price of dried cannabis available through illegal sites. 23% of customers rated pricing a top priority for shopping experience on OCS.ca and we worked with Licensed Producers on over 1,100 price reductions on cannabis products in this past year.

Cannabis 2.0 products launched last January and the category has grown to include over 320 unique items with more innovative offerings from Licensed Producers added to the catalogue each month. With the growing consumer interest for micro-cultivation and processing from small scale producers, we will see the growth of a new segment as we launch a Craft Cannabis framework for Ontario in the months ahead.

In the first fiscal quarter of this year, Ontario captured 25.1% of the recreational cannabis market share. This number will increase as we expand product selection, support a growing number of access points and work with licensed producers and authorized retailers to combat the illegal market with regulated, tested, cannabis products that offer value and quality to consumers through a framework that protects children and youth.