Across the board, Canadians are smoking more weed than ever. But who will be celebrating the most after marijuana become legal this summer? This week, Statistics Canada released new data on which provinces smoke the most weed. Not only is the disparity between the biggest pothead states and the least 420 friendly striking, but the province with the highest marijuana use might surprise you. Here’s a closer look at their findings.
Canadians Spent And Made Billions on Cannabis
Statistics Canada looked at all things weed for 2017. In total, Canadians spent an impressive $5.6 billion on marijuana last year. This includes medical and recreational marijuana. They estimate that 4.9 million Canadians used marijuana in 2017, out of a total population of around 36 million. Supposedly, 10.4 percent of marijuana use was medical marijuana.
This means that the legal marijuana market today excludes a staggering 90 percent of marijuana sales. Once cannabis is legal, producers will have to meet the demands of a massive legal market. Plus, the government will be able to tax 90 percent more product.
However, even prior to legalization, cannabis production is big business. British Columbia accounted for $1.1 billion of the cannabis industry. The second two largest marijuana producers were Quebec and Ontario, with 31 percent and 22.7 percent respectively.
Marijuana exports also increased to over $1 billion. Most of this came from British Columbia and Quebec. Unlike the United Kingdom, which paradoxically bans cannabis consumption but leads the world in exports, Canada will soon produce and consume a massive amount of weed.
Who Consumed The Most Cannabis in 2017?
Judging by production, one would assume that British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario consumed the most weed. However, Nova Scotians lead marijuana use by several grams. On average,