The Government of Ontario has decided that cannabis is not essential during a pandemic.
Ontario is changing course on allowing cannabis stores to remain open during the province's emergency action in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Cannabis stores were not listed in an updated list of "essential" businesses released by Ontario.
The provincial government is ordering all businesses not covered by the updated emergency order to close and remain closed for the next 14 days. Ontario had allowed 52 cannabis retail stores throughout the province to remain open after labeling them "essential" when ordering at-risk workplaces to close on March 24 to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Ontario Cannabis Store, which manages the province's wholesale pot business and online sales, said it has taken several steps to increase capacity to manage a larger volume of online orders it has received during the pandemic. The Ontario Cannabis Store launched same-day delivery of legal cannabis in Ontario last year through a partnership with Pineapple Express Delivery.
