Alberta’s freeze on new cannabis stores gradually lifted
The moratorium on permitting new cannabis stores in Alberta has been lifted, the provincial regulator announced Thursday.
For more than six months, Alberta Gaming Liquor Cannabis has suspended the number of store licences it’s issuing due to supply shortages.
But it now says those quantities are sufficient to release five licences per week, but emphasized that could change if supply dwindles.
“AGLC will continue to monitor the supply to ensure that retailers continue to receive adequate inventory,†the agency said in a statement.
“Should the stability of inventory take a drastic downturn, AGLC will evaluate reinstating the moratorium.â€
Up until Thursday, 101 stores licences had been granted across the province, 27 of those in Calgary.
Would-be retailers, many of those who’ve been spending considerable sums leasing unused space, have been clamouring for the AGLC to lift the suspension.
The AGLC has eased it periodically, issuing limited numbers of licences, but more than 700 would-be pot retailers have applied to operate.
Federal officials have said there’s more than enough cannabis grown by licensed producers but logistical headaches have limited shipments to provincial distributor and stores.
In recent weeks, Alberta retailers have said their supply situation has steadily improved and had predicted the moratorium would soon be further eased or lifted outright.
Last fall, the AGLC had predicted the province could host about 250 cannabis stores by the end of 2019 but hadn’t capped that number.
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