Canadians are being encouraged to stay home as much as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But cannabis-loving Ontarians have had to venture outdoors to a brick-and-mortar pot shops if they wanted to receive their weed in a timely manner this week.

The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) has announced planned service delays associated with shipping products to clients. “With the end of our financial year, it is time for our annual inventory review with the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario,” reads a statement posted to the OCS website.

“As our distribution centre conducts inventory assessments to get ready for the new fiscal year, orders received between Sunday, March 29th and April 1st should expect delays. We apologize for this inconvenience and look forward to providing additional service options in the near future. Thank you for your patience and please stay safe,” the message notes.

Canada Post will suspend its 15-day pickup window for the time being, meaning customers can pick up their packaged at their leisure.

The retailer’s overnight shipping option has also been removed at the check-out portion of the site. However, new Canada Post protocols as a result of the coronavirus outbreak means packages requiring signatures and/or ID — of which cannabis is included — will be sent directly from its depots to an outlet for pick-up.

A Delivery Notice Card will be left notifying the customer of the package’s availability, and Canada Post will suspend its 15-day pickup window for the time being, meaning customers can pick up their packaged at their leisure (although they may not receive it as quickly as usual).

The delay comes in the wake of cannabis retail being named an essential service during the COVID-19 outbreak, along with other retailers such as grocery stores, pharmacies and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.