Black market strong six months after Canada legalized cannabis

It will take a few years for the black market to disappear. They aren't going to go easily.

The government could speed it up if they ensured that legal cannabis is either much better in quality, or equivalent in price, to illegal cannabis. Having it significantly more expensive is going to mean it takes longer for the black market to disappear.

No they have not changed...demand that is. Powers that be just didn't realise that the voting public are not zealots about supporting a benign practice that effects such a large percentile. The 10 commandments mentioned nothing about weeds. " if you live in a bubble, that's you're reality " common sence has no part it it. Idiots.

Back in the day, dealers would run dry, charge different prices, it was a much more competitive market than it is now considering all the weed comes from the same few distributors/growers. It doesn't seem like a good way to make big bucks as an private shop keeper. On the plus side, we'll never have to call up a list of friends to score again. That and my city is making big bucks on the taxation of it!

So banning it, was driving up the price, putting into anti social gangs control? Legalising it suddenly causes a good working law abiding people to reach out to criminal groups to get what is legal? What??? It's legal. That's not right. Grow your own. It's a weed, requires no process, as far as natural products go, ticks all the boxes. How on earth could it be ethically a no brainer? Granted as a Cronic Alcholholic who beats my family regularly drives drunk, I'm very angry about these people who go out of their way to relax and be happy. It makes me mad, stupid people actually being happy and causing no social harm. Death penalty for all of them. A HEMP rope for all of them.

But six months on, people queue in long lines outside outlets, and supplies of many popular strains have dried up.

Well, there is obviously no shortage of demand. With such a high demand other countries should realize that it should no be illegal. I’m interested in comparative statistics of petty crime, tobacco and alcohol use. Have they changed over the same period?

High prices, short supplies and lineups at stores: six months after Canada legalized recreational cannabis, consumers are still buying a lot of pot on the black market as legal sources fail to meet demand.

THATS THE PROBLEM.? Legal sources can not meet demand? As a novice to supply and demand. I'd say increase the supply as its obvious the demand is there. So the citizens of a democracy who voted to legalise are STILL turning to naferious sources to get a product they want? This does not make sence? Get a gallon of bourbon no problem, get violent, drive, cause mayhem but sit at home lust for corn chips...it's your fault because the government is as usual clueless.

I wonder why they have this problem, not in the states...

You can't discuss anything nowadays without ignorants making political references.

All these inventory issues will be addressed soon enough.

Just import Oregon's excess supply and the problem will be alleviated somewhat.

The black market won't ever go away.

Don't know if any of you are Canadian, but from the comments, I doubt it. This Canuck will continue to use his original source, from which the product is still far better than what's being retailed. Supply/demand issues may be overcome, but commercial pricing won't compete with private sourcing.

The black market won't ever go away.

Just like there is a black market in alcohol everywhere, but it is so small as to be unimportant.

They should get more suppliers from Mexico and have them pay for the wall they need between CA and the US.

I visited my local shop the day it opened (it was the second in Toronto). There was no line-up. I walked in and got my bag searched and my ID scrutinized like I had already done something wrong. WTF? All there was was a couple of strains with exorbitant prices, and a ridiculous amount of boring packaging that resembles a collection of off-label poisonous cleaning products. Even booze can have some fun with the labels. Leave it to the government to ruin pot. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything. I've been to Amsterdam. I know the drill. What's happening in these pot shops is just pure fascism. I didn't buy anything and want no part in the legal distribution model. I'll stick to my friends, or friends of friends, until they bring the fun into pot-shopping.

If they changed the law, they must of researched the demand before hand. It’s like selling train tickets when there are no train tracks.

The amount of tax income lost could of paid for one years daycare across the nation.

Surprised more people aren't growing their own.

They are being too cautious giving growers the go-ahead to expand more crops

Until they open up the spigot more, the supply would only keep trickling compared to the high demand

the average price of dried cannabis in Canada has increased by more than 17 percent since legalization, to Can$8.04 per gram

Yikes! That's US$192 an ounce! What are these people smoking? haha

Canada will just get progressively (pun intended) more toked up and dumbed down.