Ontario’s cannabis distributor says the number of legal stores opening in the province continues to slow.
The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) says the number of authorized cannabis retailers open for business in the province increased by 20% in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 34% in the previous third quarter.
The OCS says the province now has 1,333 cannabis stores open, up from 1,115 at the end of September last year.
The new figures contained in the OCS’s quarterly report also show shoppers chose brick-and-mortar stores for 96% of their recreational cannabis purchases, with $383 million in sales and 57 million grams of cannabis sold in stores across the province.
The OCS says nearly 59% of the province’s cannabis purchases were made through legal channels in Q4, up from 54% during the third quarter and 43% from a year ago.
Dried flowers accounted for 49% of total cannabis sales in Ontario in the fourth quarter, trailed by 20% for pre-rolls, 16% for vapes, and 5% for edibles.
