Legal producers were unable to meet the sudden surge in demand, and struggled for weeks to fill orders, leaving marijuana stores with empty shelves. Ahead of legalization, the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, had argued that the move would nearly eliminate the black market, which he said funnelled money into organized crime. Tobin said running a legal cannabis business has been an “ongoing struggle” in the face of persistent shortages. A number of government outlets and licensed private stores have also faced complaints that their products do not match the quality of the black market. “The government was aware that it wouldn’t fully displace the black market on day one.” She and others suspect the black market will persist for at least another two years, as it did when Colorado legalised cannabis.

Source: The Guardian April 17, 2019 09:00 UTC