The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Ontario is scrapping the lottery system it used to award cannabis retail licences and changing to an open licensing model. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that the move will vastly expand the number of retail stores in the province and could help the pot industry compete with the black market. Starting in April, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will award about 20 new licences a month, with no cap on the total number in the province. The licences will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, similar to how Alberta issues private retail licences, with individual companies eventually allowed to own up to 75 stores. "By the end of the year we'll probably have an aggregate total of 250 [stores], in that range, and then we'll see what the market is doing," said Ontario Attorney-General Doug Downey. Ontario has lagged other provinces in legal weed store openings. More than a year after recreational cannabis was legalized, there are only 24 legal stores open in the province. A further 42 are expected to open this month. Many publicly traded pot growers attributed their poor financial results in recent quarters to a lack of retail outlets.