Ottawa/Winnipeg — The biggest challenge for Justin Trudeau’s forthcoming legal recreational marijuana market is a shortage of the weed, the finance minister of Canada’s most-populous province says. Ontario’s Charles Sousa said a supply crunch was discussed during a meeting with provincial and federal counterparts this week. Canada is aiming to legalise recreational marijuana in the next 12 months, the first major economy to do so. One analyst said he’s concerned the government could use a supply shortage as an excuse to delay rolling out the programme. "Ultimately the biggest problem that appears after today’s discussion is one of supply," Sousa said in an interview this week. Finance ministers were told that demand is "quite high" for marijuana already in Canada, he said. "So we want to make certain that, when we do proceed, there is sufficient supply to accommodate the activity because what we’re trying to do is curb the illicit use and organised crime that now exists around it." ...
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