Weed retailers running out of stock in Canada just one day after drug is legalized

Marijuana retailers across Canada have reportedly been experiencing shortages or running out of stock entirely just one day after the country moved to legalize the recreational sale of the drug.

The Globe and Mail reported on Thursday that provinces are pushing cannabis producers to expedite shipments of the drug as websites and stores across the country sell out of stock amid celebration over legalization.

Vic Neufeld, chief executive of Leamington, Ontario-based grower Aphria Inc., told the local publication that licensed producers are “obviously really trying to be good partners to the various provincial regulators, but we’re not meeting expectations. Nobody is.”

{mosads}Neufeld said the weed industry will likely face some difficulties with supply issues over the next several months until more consumer data become available for the industry.

Thomas Clarke, who runs THC Distribution in Portugal Cove-St Philip’s, told the CBC he was shocked by how quickly his store sold out of product and said he was also “very upset that I don’t have product for everybody.”

“I’m letting down a lot of people here and I was assured that if I paid for the cannabis I would receive it,” Clarke continued.

He told the Canadian outlet he didn’t receive the full supply he needed from his producer so he started out with low stock, a problem other pot retailers across the country are experiencing amid the incredibly busy time.

Customers attempting to purchase the drug from online stores have also reportedly experienced hold-ups as multiple websites suffer glitches and other issues due to the high volumes of traffic.

The report arrives shortly after the sale of legal recreational marijuana began for the first time in Canada on Wednesday, making it the second country with a nationwide legal pot market.

Canadian lawmakers voted to approve legal recreational marijuana in June. Under the new law, Canadians are also able to order marijuana through the mail.