Thursday, March 28, 2024

Statistics Canada reveals 4.9 million Canadians purchased cannabis in 2017 (REPORT)

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As the country inches closer and closer to legalization this summer, Statistics Canada decided to check out how many Canadians buy weed, how much they spend on it, and other trends in marijuana consumption.

Using data from several surveys and administrative sources, a historical/analytical account was created for cannabis use in Canada from 1961 to 2017.

A few quick facts

  • Canadians spent about $5.7 billion on cannabis (medicinal and non-medicinal).
  • Over 90% of household spending on marijuana was for non-medicinal purposes (which is currently illegal in Canada).
  • Most cannabis consumed in Canada is also produced in Canada.
  • From 2000-2017, the percentage breakdown of marijuana consumption by age group is: 33% for ages 18-24; 40% for ages 25-44; 18% for ages 15-17; 9% for ages 45-64.
  • Marijuana was at its most expensive point in 1989 ($12/g) and has been declining ever since, due to increase in supply. It dropped to around $7.50/g in 2017.
  • Non-medicinal production of cannabis was much higher than the legal production of medicinal marijuana in 2017: $4.6 billion for the former and about $400 million for the latter.

Preparing for legalization

In November 2017, the BC Provincial Government asked citizens to submit their input on marijuana legalization and regulation.

Over 48,000 people responded, prompting authorities to come up with several regulation laws, such as setting the minimum age to purchase, possess and consume cannabis at 19 years old.

Click here to read the full Statistics Canada report.

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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