The Ford government is planning to take a ``phased approach'' when it comes to retail cannabis stores.
It will issue just a handful of licenses to start.
In a statment, the province says it will issue up to 25 licenses leading up to the first day of sales on April 1.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will implement a lottery system to determine who is eligible for the initial licences.
Results will be announced in January.
The government says is was compelled to phase in the stores because of ``severe supply shortages'' being experienced by cannabis outlets across the country.