As the clock struck one minute past midnight, eager bud-beavers were able to place orders of cannabis on the province’s online store.
The Ontario Cannabis Store has products from dozens of different suppliers, each labelled with the level of Tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) and Cannabidiol(CBD) inside, as tested by Health Canada.
The site launched with a tag line that reads "Shop legal. It's better to know what's in your cannabis.”
Once a person selects products to order, they will be shipped from a warehouse in an undisclosed part of the GTA via Canada Post, and then will be delivered to the customer.
Buyers have to verify they are over the age of 19 three different times during the ordering process, but will not have to prove their age before completing a purchase, unlike other jurisdictions like Alberta. If a buyer accepting a package containing cannabis appears to be younger than 25, the Canada Post delivery person may ask for identification to verify the age.
The delivery time is expected to be between one and three days. The shipments fee is $5.
It is legal in Ontario to smoke pot anywhere cigarette smoking is allowed, except inside a car or on a boat. The Markham city council, however, enacted a bylaw on Tuesday that prohibits smoking in public areas.
Retail stores have yet to be established in Ontario, but the government has signaled its intention to accept licensing applications at a future date. The brick-and-mortar stores would be privately-run. Any dispensaries operating in the province right now remain illegal, according to the provincial government.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday morning, Ontario’s minister of finance Vic Fedeli says the province is waiting until April 1st to open physical stores to “see what other provinces do.”
“We wanted meet the federal law, because it is a federally-enacted law, so that’s why we went online. We really want to see what other provinces do in terms of their bricks and mortar. How it evolves. Learn from their challenges,” Fedeli said.
“We went with a private retail model and so shortly we will open up the opportunity for licences.”
Fedeli called the process for verifying a customer's age “rigorous."
“The products are shipped to your door… and only to you,” he said.
“Information is not kept. You do not have to build an account. Every time you go on you go through the same process.”
As of 8 a.m., some quantities of select strains had already sold out on the site.
When asked about how an impending Canada Post strike could impact the sale of cannabis, the finance minister noted that the province has a contingency plan.
“We hope that the federal government and Canada Post come to an agreement for the people in Canada but for us, we have our alternate plans in place,” Fedeli said, refusing to elaborate.
As for illegal dispensaries, Fedeli said it is a “very, very critical day” for those businesses.
“The local police force can shut you down immediately and it is now a $250,000 fine. The incentive to the municipalities to do that is they keep the money. So if you are the landlord and you have an illegal facility, you also get $250,000 fine and they could seize your building,” he added.
“The hammer comes down today on these illegal businesses and if they are still open, they can never, ever get a licence in Ontario.”
Retail stores have yet to be established in Ontario, but the government has signaled its intention to accept licensing applications at a future date. The brick-and-mortar stores would be privately-run. Any dispensaries operating in the province right now remain illegal, according to the provincial government.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday morning, Ontario’s minister of finance Vic Fedeli says the province is waiting until April 1st to open physical stores to “see what other provinces do.”
“We wanted meet the federal law, because it is a federally-enacted law, so that’s why we went online. We really want to see what other provinces do in terms of their bricks and mortar. How it evolves. Learn from their challenges,” Fedeli said.
“We went with a private retail model and so shortly we will open up the opportunity for licences.”
Fedeli called the process for verifying a customer's age “rigorous."
“The products are shipped to your door… and only to you,” he said.
“Information is not kept. You do not have to build an account. Every time you go on you go through the same process.”
As of 8 a.m., some quantities of select strains had already sold out on the site.
When asked about how an impending Canada Post strike could impact the sale of cannabis, the finance minister noted that the province has a contingency plan.
“We hope that the federal government and Canada Post come to an agreement for the people in Canada but for us, we have our alternate plans in place,” Fedeli said, refusing to elaborate.
As for illegal dispensaries, Fedeli said it is a “very, very critical day” for those businesses.
“The local police force can shut you down immediately and it is now a $250,000 fine. The incentive to the municipalities to do that is they keep the money. So if you are the landlord and you have an illegal facility, you also get $250,000 fine and they could seize your building,” he added.
“The hammer comes down today on these illegal businesses and if they are still open, they can never, ever get a licence in Ontario.”
Torontonians react to first day of legalization
Cannabis users and supporters gathered outside the Mod Club, near College Street and Ossington Avenue, Wednesday night to ring in legalization with a New Year’s Eve-type countdown. As the clock struck midnight, confetti was released into the air a marijuana plant bud was dropped down from the ceiling like a chandelier.
“We are going to be global revolutionaries and leaders. This is a fantastic day for Canadians,” one man standing outside the Mod Club said.
The owner of the Friendly Stranger Cannabis Culture Shop also held an “End of Prohibition” party to celebrate legalization on Wednesday.
“When I first started this, you couldn’t openly talk about cannabis and now we are legal,” owner Robin Ellins said. “It’s a huge change.”
“I think the best part about legalization is that those who had no access to a plant that was going to help them get off of opioids, help them succeed at being creative, help them drop their anxiety, so yeah, it’s great,” another cannabis user said.
At 4:20 p.m., hundreds of people gathered at Trinity Bellwoods Park to legally smoke the weed.
“This is the first joint I’ve smoked in a long time,” one man told CTV News Toronto while holding a joint. “It’s good to be around a lot of people who are celebrating this important day for Canada.”
“I was dead certain this would never happen,” he added.
Meanwhile, anti-pot protesters holding signs saying “cannabis poisons youth” and “marijuana makes morons” rallied outside Bill Blair’s office.
“We’re here because we are protesting the irresponsible and unconscionable move on the part of Justin Trudeau and his government to wide open legalization of so-called recreational pot in Canada,” one unnamed man said.
Another woman said she was participating in the protest because the smell of marijuana bothers her and she believes that smokers should not be able to use cannabis in public areas.
“I have sensitivity and an allergy to it. I am a non-user. I do not feel like I should have that in my backyard every day,” she said.
