Quebec cannabis stores already short on supply a day after legalization

Quebec's government-run cannabis agency, theSocitqubcoisedu cannabis (SQDC), has issued a tally of its first day of sales: some 42,000 transactions, manymore than expected.

Thousands of Quebecers spent hoursin the chilly autumn weather lined up outside the SQDC's12 outlets, making 12,500 purchases. The rest were made online.

The SQDC is not releasing how much money those sales amount to.

• Quebec's new cannabis stores draw huge crowds for legalization day

"It was difficult to accuratelyanticipatethe volume, given the lack of data for a market that was, 48 hours ago, still illegal," the agency said in a news release.

"The volume largely surpasses the SQDC'spredictionsbut also demonstrates the robustness of its systems."

The SQDCsaid customers made 450,000 visits to the agency'swebsite, whichwas able to sustain the online traffic without crashing.

Some oils, pills, sprays, pre-rolled joints sold out

The agency is warning customers theycould facean extra wait of five or more days on online orders because of the volumeof sales, as well as the risk of a Canada Post strike in the coming days.

The SQDCsays it still has to take a detailedcount of its stock, butthere could be serious shortages in the short term. It attributes the potential shortages to "the hype created by legalization and the scarcity in products across Canada."

Some of the products that sold out Wednesday includeoils, pills, sprays and pre-rolled joints.

SQDC spokesperson Mathieu Gaudraultsaid more products will be ordered Friday,but stores could see a delay in receiving them.

Another day, another lineup

Some people lined up for four hours Wednesday, the SQDC said, and many had to be turned away when the stores closed Wednesday evening.

That prompted complaints outsidethe store on Ste-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal, and police had to be called to tell people to disperse.

But the lineups were backearly Thursday morning: outside the Ste-Catherine outlet,a dozen people were spotted waiting for the store to open at 10 a.m.