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Matt Maurer, Aaron Swartzman,
and Andrew Wilder
October 17, 2018 was a notable day for the cannabis industry in Canada as the federal Cannabis Act came into effect which legalized recreational cannabis use across the entire country.
However, October 17, 2018 also marked the day that Ontario’s Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, 2018 received Royal Assent, paving the way for private retail to operate within the province of Ontario.
The new Ontario law marked a significant departure from what had previously been passed under former Premier Kathleen Wynne. Premier Wynne was poised to roll out a government owned and operated cannabis retail model across the province. The new law that was passed by Premier Ford’s government establishes the broad framework under which bricks and mortar cannabis retail stores will be privately owned and operated.
As at the date of writing, the regulations have yet to be released and the full particulars of the licensing process yet to be unveiled. However, we nevertheless do have some direction as to what the framework is likely to look like, both as a result of the content of the legislation itself as well as from lessons we have learned from other provinces who have previously enacted a privately owned and operated cannabis retail system.