Nearly three years since Canada legalized recreational cannabis, retail pot shops are everywhere. There are officially 161 in the city, often in clusters of half a dozen or more within blocks of each other. Pot shops have snatched up empty storefronts at such a quick clip that it’s become a running joke: anytime a store, click resources a bar or a coffee shop closes in a trendy or up-and-coming neighbourhood, the countdown starts to when it will become a weed store. Ontario Cannabis Store staffing shrouded in mystery In addition, Lee estimated that Ontario needs to open 40 stores every month starting in January for Canopy8217;s supply of dried cannabis products to match consumer demand by the middle of 2020. Doug Ford’s decision to opt for pot sales in private stores instead of the 150 government-owned stores operated by the LCBO was an expensive one — that move burned $8.9 million.