"In the year following the legalisation of non-medical cannabis in Canada, the cannabis retail market has grown considerably, with retailers of legal cannabis establishing more than 400 brick-and-mortar stores and generating $908 million [$689.6 million USD] in online and retail store sales", the report said on Wednesday.
Ontario cannabis retailers led sales at the provincial level, followed by Alberta and Quebec, according to the report.
The retail #cannabis market in Canada: Retailers of legal cannabis established more than 400 brick-and-mortar stores and recorded $908 million in online and in-store sales in the first 12 months of legalization. 🏬 https://t.co/F11ems0GVA #cdnecon pic.twitter.com/Hx0XRWKPhE
— Statistics Canada (@StatCan_eng) December 11, 2019
In a surprise, the third most populous province, British Columbia, recorded relatively weak sales and was the lowest consumer of cannabis per capita. The Yukon and Prince Edward Island led the way in per capita sales.
Canada's statistics agency also noted that consumer access to cannabis retailers is increasing.
Sask. created about $38M in cannabis profits in very first year of legalization: Statistics Canada https://t.co/aaLpjnW3Pr pic.twitter.com/eB4zrzBjq1
— Topshelf.news (@Topshelf_News) December 12, 2019
In October 2018, Canada became the second country in the world - after Uruguay - to legalise cannabis.