© Reuters / Carlos Osorio
Since the drug was officially legalized on October 17 shortages of cannabis have been reported by retailers in the provinces of Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The acceptance of marijuana, licenced and regulated by the federal government, had been preceded by much excitement from designated retailers and smokers alike. Each of Canada's 13 provinces are responsible for how the drug is distributed and it appears not everyone was prepared for people's desire to get blazed.
According to CBC, Alberta authorities are hunting for new producers of cannabis as they attempt to keep up with sales. The province has five privately run recognized distributors, with government weed retailer Alberta Cannabis recently displaying an 'Out of Stock' sign on pre-rolled items.
Alberta Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis spokesperson Kaleigh Miller said authorities may have been unprepared for the demand.
"We plan to continue to actively seek additional suppliers going forward," she said.
"When the industry launched we saw outstanding response and the market demand has been fairly steady ever since. So I think that everyone estimated for this industry to be a success. But I think that the success is a little bit more than we anticipated," she added.
Prior to legalization it was posited by the C.D. Howe Institute that demand would exceed supply for at least the first year.
In a report by the think tank economist Rosalie Wyonch said "at current production levels, legal supply will meet only roughly 30 percent to 60 percent of total demand."
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