Montreal

Quebec's cannabis shops open every day, starting next week

The province's cannabis retailer, the Société québécoise du cannabis, says its chronic supply problems have been resolved.

SQDC had been closed Mondays to Wednesdays due to supply shortages

Long lines at the downtown Montreal SQDC shop were common in the days after legalization. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

Starting Monday, Quebec's retail cannabis shops will be open all week.

The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) had to close its outlets Mondays to Wednesdays soon after pot was legalized in Canada last October, as it struggled to keep up with demand. In February, the shops reopened on Wednesdays but remained closed two days a week.

Now, the provincial corporation says that its supply is reliable enough to allowing existing shops to return to their original hours.

In Montreal, that includes the outlets in downtown Montreal, the Saint Hubert Plaza and Acadie Boulevard.

The head of the SQDC said last year that the agency would delay opening new shops while the provincial government revises its pot legislation.

The Coalition Avenir Québec campaigned on raising the legal age from 18 to 21 and putting additional restrictions on where cannabis can be consumed in public.

Edible cannabis products are expected to be on the legal market this fall, which analysts predict will put a new strain on the country's licensed producers.

Also putting pressure on pot producers is an unexpectedly high demand for CBD oil.

In Quebec, dried cannabis, oils, capsules and sprays can be purchased legally.