Coronavirus: Cannabis retailers plead with Ontario to allow reopening in lockdown zones

They’re considered essential but you will not find anyone inside pot shops in Toronto and Peel Region, the provinces two lockdown zones.

“All we’re asking for is an opportunity to do right by our customers in the community, have a consistent playing field and, you know, honestly, if the government was running cannabis stores, I wonder if they’d be open today like the liquor and beer stores,” said Sam Vanverveer, the vice-president at Sessions Cannabis in Toronto.

The cannabis industry is reaching out to the province asking elected officials to reconsider shuttering storefronts. Only curbside pickup and delivery is available during the 28-day lockdown period — unlike the LCBO, which is also deemed essential where a customer can walk into a retail store.

“For the government to be granting sort of privileges to its own corporation, and other private retailers don’t have the same opportunities or can’t distinguish themselves — it’s setting people up for failure,” said Caryma S’ad, a Toronto-based Cannabis lawyer.