Premier Doug Ford says his government is still working toward its commitment to an open cannabis retail system, and more stores will be opening in the new year.

The Progressive Conservative government had initially said there would be no cap on the number of retail pot shops after cannabis was legalized.

But a supply shortage prompted the Tories to move to a lottery system, capping the initial number of pot retail licences to just 25, and later holding a second lottery for 42 more.

BNN Bloomberg reports today that the government is looking to scrap the lottery system and move toward an open allocation system as early as January.

Ford says he believes in letting the market dictate how many stores can be supported, now that there is enough supply.

He says the ultimate goal is to get rid of the black market.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2019.