New research shows that the majority Canadians buy their marijuana from legal sources.
Canada legalized medical cannabis in 2001, and recreational marijuana in 2018. Has the illegal market changed much in the 7 years since it was legalized?
According to researchers from Canada, UK and USA it is.
In 2022 and 2023, national surveys were conducted among Canadians aged between 16-65 to gather information on cannabis use in the last 12 months. On average, participants reported that 78% all of their cannabis in the previous year came from legal source. The averages varied significantly among cannabis products. They ranged from 55.6% in the case of hash, to 80.2% when it came to beverages.
As for prices — the gap between legal and illegal has been closing, and for some types legal products appear to be cheaper.
- Dry flower: +23.8%
- Vapes: +18.7%
- Hash: +38.4%
- Capsules: -28.4%
- Drops: -3.3%
- Edibles: +3.9%
- Beverages: -8.8%
- Concentrates: +13.8%
- Tinctures: -17.0%
Researchers noted that dried flowers were available from legal and illicit sources at significant discounts.
There are likely to be some differences between the two markets, given the differences in the standard quantities bought and the quantity discounts available in each market. The price difference between the legal and illegal source may be overestimated if you exclude purchase quantities from your analysis.
Study has been published Drug and Alcohol Review, a peer-reviewed journal.
Canada is no exception. Sales from legal retail sources have dramatically increased over time, reaching $4.7 billion in the 2022–2023 fiscal year. In April to June of 2024, total sales from legal medical and nonmedical sources in Canada reached 21448,153 packages. This is an increase of 7% over the same period last year.
In a similar vein, an earlier study that examined the changes in cannabis misuse and use in Canada in the first five years after legalization was published. During the study period, cannabis abuse decreased while use of cannabis increased. The misuse of cannabis dropped right after the COVID-19 outbreak and it never recovered to its previous levels. The reason for this is not fully understood, and further research will be needed.