The government of Ontario, Canada, pledged $31 million to an agency responsible for fighting the illicit cannabis market in the province.
The $31 million investment for the Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Teams (PJFCET) would be made over three years, the news outlet StratCann reported, citing Ontario’s 2024 budget papers.
The government said the money would allow the PJFCET to “respond to the challenge of illegal online operators and crack down further on the production, sale and distribution of illegal cannabis in the online and offline space,” according to StratCann.
The investment follows a motion passed by the Toronto City Council earlier this year asking the province to review the Provincial Cannabis Control Act, 2017 “to ensure the effective regulations and enforcement of cannabis-related matters” in Ontario, StratCann reported.
According to the City Council’s motion:
- Municipalities need more tools and resources to combat the illicit cannabis market.
- Provincial officials need to explore “options to strengthen enforcement measures, increase penalties for non-compliance, and improve collaboration between municipalities and provincial authorities.”
In the past year, StratCann reported, several hundred new, unlicensed retailers have opened in Ontario, Canada’s largest cannabis market – including nearly 100 in Toronto.
Some illicit operators have faced enforcement, but many have not, the news outlet noted.
Many operators, long frustrated by the illicit market, applauded the investment.
“As Canada’s largest cannabis retail chain with 72 stores + over 700 employees in Ontario, we at (High Tide) welcome the Ontario gov FES commitment to help law enforcement crack down on illegal cannabis promotion/advertising,” Raj Grover, CEO of High Tide, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
