(Toronto) An annual Health Canada survey suggests that for the first time since cannabis was legalized, more than half of consumers are now turning to legal businesses to purchase their marijuana.
The survey, conducted among more than 10,000 Canadian cannabis consumers over the age of 16, found that 53% bought cannabis regularly in 2021 from an authorized point of sale, such as a Société québécoise du cannabis store. Last year, that rate was 41%.
About 11% of respondents made their purchases through a legal online source, up from 13% last year.
Illegal outlets, illegal online sources and resellers were each the top source for 2.0% of respondents, respectively, this year, down slightly from 3.0% last year.
Around 11% say they got their cannabis from friends (up from 16% in 2020), 3.0% received it from a family member, and around 8.0% grew their own pot.
Across the provinces and territories, the most common product consumed was dried flowers and leaves – a frequency ranging from 61% to 75%.
Edible products came next (from 53% to 60%), except in Quebec (26%). In this province, the second most frequently reported product was cannabis oil for oral administration (28%).