The number of legal cannabis shops granted approval to open in Ontario will significantly rise this fall.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) said on Tuesday it is increasing the number of retail store authorizations it issues each month to 40.
"At the government's direction, the AGCO is now moving to double the pace of store authorizations this fall. The AGCO will soon contact all affected retail store applicants directly to advise them of any change to the timing of the issuance of their store authorizations," the commission said in a statement.
Under the Ontario government's plan for an open market for cannabis retail outlets, monthly cannabis store approvals rose to 20 per month in April.
To date, the commission has granted approval for 164 stores and 150 shops are currently open.