Private cannabis stores in this province will be allowed to serve their customers again.

The move comes after an emergency order was approved on Tuesday by Premier Doug Ford's cabinet ministers.

It allows Ontario's 52 licensed pot shops to sell weed online or over the phone.

Customers would be able to pick up their orders at the store.

Last weekend, pot shops had to close their doors after the Ford government declared them a non-essential service while Ontario battles the coronavirus pandemic.

That meant that the Ontario Cannabis Store, owned by the provincial government, was the only legal way to buy weed and have it delivered to the customer's home.

Attorney general Doug Downey tells BNN Bloomberg that the decision was made to allow these businesses to open again on a limited basis in order to curb any growth in the illegal market for marijuana.