Holy smokes, Nova Scotia. Cannabis sales top $660,000 on Day 1
HALIFAX—Nova Scotians who lined up outside the province’s only legal pot purveyor on the first day of legalization Wednesday purchased more than $660,000 worth of product.
Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation spokesperson Beverley Ware said from Wednesday’s 10 a.m. opening at its 12 cannabis retail locations across Nova Scotia until closing time, they conducted 12,810 transactions totalling just over $660,000. Almost $47,000 of those sales were online.
On Wednesday in Halifax, all four NSLC cannabis retail locations were bustling all day with customers waiting in line right up until closing time to make their first legal pot purchases. On Thursday morning, Ware said they experienced short lineups at only two stores — the Halifax store on Joseph Howe Drive and the store in Sydney River.
Cannabis retailers warn of lingering supply shortage, Demand Far Greater than Expected.
TORONTO — Demand for newly legal pot appears to be outstripping supply on the second day of legalization as retailers ran low on some products or were cleaned out completely, manifestations of a shortfall that some provinces warned could last for months.
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries said Thursday that it is expecting product shortages in both brick-and-mortar and online stores could last “up to at least six months.”
“Every province — not just Manitoba — is receiving substantially less cannabis than originally requested… Retailers in Manitoba will be receiving staggered shipments over the next few weeks (some daily) in an effort to meet their requests,” said a spokeswoman for the Manitoba crown corporation in an email.
A B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch spokeswoman said that “shortages are/were expected to impact all jurisdictions across Canada as some (licensed producers) look to opportunities in overseas markets.”
Four of the largest licensed producers indicated to B.C. earlier this month they would not ship their full product commitment in time for the launch of online sales and the province’s lone store, she added.
“LPs point to a number of factors in reduced product volume and assortment including issues with supply chain, lower than expected crop yields, and insufficient supply of packaging materials,” the spokeswoman said in an email.