When Potherb opened its doors in 2023, Ontario’s legal cannabis market was already growing fast, but it’s changed even more since then. As we celebrate our own 3rd anniversary, it felt like the right moment to look at how the province’s cannabis scene has evolved alongside us. So here’s a look at 3 years of legal Cannabis in Ontario.
More Stores, More Access
Ontario’s cannabis retail footprint has grown steadily year over year. By the end of 2023, the province added 80 net new authorized cannabis stores, bringing the total to hundreds across 353 participating municipalities (Cannabis Retailer, 2024). That growth has continued since: as of February 2026, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) had issued 1,829 Retail Store Authorizations province-wide, up 6% from December 2024 alone (Cannabusiness Plans, 2026). More recent data puts the total even higher, with 1,799 stores authorized to operate across the province, including 66 right here in Mississauga (StratCann, 2025).
Sales Have Kept Climbing
It’s not just store count. Ontario’s legal cannabis sales have grown consistently since legalization, and 2023 was itself a strong year for the province. Authorized stores sold more than 338 million grams of cannabis that year, a 23.3% year-over-year increase, valued at over $1.9 billion (Cannabis Retailer, 2024). Growth has continued since: by 2024, stores sold close to 409 million grams, nearly 20% more than the year before, worth over $2.15 billion (Cannabusiness Plans, 2026). Monthly sales have kept setting new highs too, reaching close to $200 million in a single month by August 2025 (Cannabusiness Plans, 2026).
More Ontarians Are Buying Cannabis Legally
Perhaps the most telling shift is in where people are actually buying their cannabis. As of the most recent data, an estimated 65% of adults in Ontario now buy cannabis through a legal store, up seven percentage points from 2023 (Cannabusiness Plans, 2026). That’s a meaningful shift toward the regulated market in just a few years, and it lines up with what we’ve seen ourselves: more first-time customers, more people asking informed questions, and a community that’s genuinely curious about legal cannabis rather than defaulting to old habits.
What’s Actually on the Shelves Has Changed Too
The product mix has shifted too. As of the end of 2024, dried flower and pre-rolls together made up about half of all active product SKUs in the province, while vapes accounted for roughly 15% and infused pre-rolls another 11% (Cannabusiness Plans, 2026). That diversification is part of what’s made shopping legal cannabis feel less like a novelty and more like a normal, varied retail category, something we’ve tried to reflect in how we curate our own shelves.
To summarize the past 3 year of legal cannabis in Ontario…
Ontario’s cannabis market looks pretty different from the one Potherb opened into: more stores, more sales, more product variety, and more people choosing the legal market over anything else. We’ve grown alongside all of it, and we’re glad you’ve been part of that growth with us.