Second pot shop opens on London's Richmond Row

Second cannabis storefront opens in London, Ont. A second bricks-and-mortar pot shop opened to the public on Richmond Row Wednesday morning. CTV London's Jim Knight has the story.

London's second bricks-and-mortar pot shop at 691 Richmond Street is now officially open for business.

J. London on Richmond Row opened its doors to the public at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Central Cannabis on Wonderland Road opened on April 1.

Legal pot shops in Ontario were expected to open at the beginning of the month, or they faced penalties from the province.

But J. London has yet to be reprimanded because of delays in the public consultation process.

A third cannabis store under the Tweed brand is slated for 1025 Wellington Road in the city’s south end.

There is no word on when it could open, though according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), while the public notice period has ended, no retail operator licence has yet been issued.

Only ten of the province's pot shops were ready for business on last week's launch date and the AGCO is reportedly penalizing a dozen cannabis retailers who failed to open their stores at the beginning of April.

Stores that missed the deadline could see the commission draw down $12,500 on a $50,000 letter of credit, and risk losing the entire amount if they still aren't up and running by the end of the month.

The AGCO says it's drawing down credit from 12 retailers that aren't open yet, while ruling two others had their openings delayed for reasons beyond their control.

The AGCO said stores that aren't open by April 15 will see another $12,500 draw down on their letter of credit. The remaining $25,000 would be drawn down if stores are still not open by April 30.

In the week leading up to launch day, the commission said many applicants were at different stages of the approvals process.

With files from The Canadian Press.