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There was a change in the provincial government prior to legalization that probably contributed to this loss. The previous provincial Liberal government had pla
by fraqed 7y ago
There was a change in the provincial government prior to legalization that probably contributed to this loss. The previous provincial Liberal government had planned to sell cannabis through the provincially owned liquor stores. In June 2018 they lost the election to the Conservatives, who in August 2018 decided not to sell cannabis in the government stores but through private retailers[1]. However, as this was an unexpected change the first private retailers wouldn’t be operational until April 2019 [2]. So from the time of legalization, October 17, 2018 until April 1, 2019 the only way to legally purchase cannabis in Ontario was online and by postal delivery.
[1]: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-cannabis-private-sales-1.4783630 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-cannabis-priv...
[2]: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-cannabis-opening-day-1.5076935 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-cannabis-open...
- learningmore 7y agoThis is why I read the comments to articles first. Thanks, @fraqed for adding important context!
- Scoundreller 7y agoIt's still confusing. How expensive is it to setup a Shopify site and a third-party logistics company to send out orders? I guess the question is: how much of the loss is one-time capital costs, and how much is ongoing. Should Ontarians look forward to more losses, or to a more profitable system overall?
- gpm 7y agoWell, for one thing you have to make sure none of the data touches the US or companies that might share data with US agencies (particularly cbp) to avoid screwing over otherwise innocent people who like weed.
- Scoundreller 7y agoThat's Shopify's problem.
- nasalgoat 7y agoThat's fine because Shopify is Canadian.
- kenrose 7y agoThe Ontario government actually does use Shopify for its online cannabis store: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-shopify-marijuana-online-shopping-1.4531228 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-shopify-mariju...