Attitudes surrounding the cannabis industry have undoubtedly
evolved in Canada. After decades of prohibition, this often
stigmatized plant has arguably become normalized and integral to
our modern-day society. This has been made even more apparent by
various federal and provincial responses towards cannabis
businesses in the current global pandemic.
On March 23, 2020, the Ontario government announced the first
round of mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces for an
initial 14-day period, effective March 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. The
order was made pursuant to s. 7.02(4) of the Emergency
Management and Civil Protection Act, under Regulation 82/20 (the
"Order"). The Order outlined 74
categories of "essential" businesses, which included
"cannabis stores and cannabis producers", that were
permitted to remain open. However, private sector cannabis stores
were removed from an updated list of essential workplaces, effective
April 4, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. This updated
