More than half of New Brunswick’s legal cannabis stores are expected to stay closed Wednesday due to a pot shortage.
Disappointed customers approached one of the stores in Saint John Tuesday to be greeted by a ‘closed’ sign.
Some disgruntled customers saw the closures as growing pains, while others blamed poor planning.
“They don’t realize how many people have been buying under the table when it was illegal,” Keith Short told CTV Atlantic.
“So if the government, if they keep the place stocked, they will make millions.”
“I’m a little surprised that they didn’t think this far ahead,” Justin Maclean added.
“You’d think as a government corporation they would have put a little more thought into the opening month.”
Shortages in a variety of cannabis products have been reported across the country, with no firm indication when supply is going to meet demand.
One of the big suppliers said some of the industry is having trouble meeting expectations.
“There’s very few large producers and especially smaller producers that have been able to deliver on their commitments to this point,” Ray Gracewood from Organigram Inc. told CTV.
“We think it’s going to take some time for most of the other producers to get to that point.”
Gracewood added that his firm “over-delivered” on its commitment to New Brunswick.
A statement from Cannabis NB, the Crown corporation in charge of selling cannabis in the province, said: “Unfortunately due to unexpected last minute supply, logistical and other issues encountered by the license producers, Cannabis NB only received approximately 20-30% of its shipment originally ordered for the October 17 launch date.”
Cannabis NB will face questions about its business model from incoming New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgins.
“When I look at our model, it is one of the most expensive models in the country,” he said.
“And when I was given a pricing recently, how our price compares to others, we’re the highest.”
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron
