If you were asked to make a random guess about how much weed Canadians bought (and presumably consumed) since recreational marijuana was legalized in October last year, what would you say? Well, Statistics Canada released recreational cannabis sales data and the figures are surprising, to say the least.
The statistics show that in October last year, Canadians bought recreational cannabis worth $32.7 million while November sales amounted to $40.4 million. In December, Canadians bought recreational cannabis products worth $41.9 million.
These figures are considered to be highly reliable because the Canadian marijuana market is highly regulated. You should therefore not doubt that the first three months of legal recreational pot resulted in total sales of $115 million. That is shocking, given all the hype that accompanied the lead up to legalization.
However, a number of factors may explain why annual recreational cannabis sales are likely to be far less than was predicted.
First, the persistent supply shortages have made it hard for all Canadian who would like to use weed to buy the substance as often as they would like. Without weed on the shelves, where would the sales come from? Many licensed producers predict that it may take years for them to ramp up their production to a level that can meet the current demand.
Secondly, Health Canada has also played a part in dampening the performance of the recreational cannabis sector. The regulator has been very slow in processing the applications for the different entities that would like to become licensed producers/cultivators of cannabis in the country. There are claims that Health Canada takes several months or even years to make a decision on an application. This sluggish way of conducting their business has made it hard for enough producers to be active in the country, hence the supply shortages.
Another reason for the low recreational cannabis sales has to do with a shortage of packaging and processing facilities. There are reports that harvested cannabis takes unnecessarily long to reach the shelves of retail outlets because the few processers licensed in the country cannot handle the volume of weed available for processing and packaging.
Not surprisingly, the packaging and processing problem also goes back to Health Canada who have been slow in issuing processing or packaging licenses to interested players.
Finally, the provinces may also have a role to play in the dismal sales statistics. For example, Ontario has only been selling recreational cannabis through the state-run online outlets. While there are plans to open offline stores, the current sale in online stores alone has reduced the potential sales that would have been made in the densely populated cities within the province.
Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) and Marijuana Company of America Inc. (OTCQB: MCOA) look forward to a speedy resolution of all the limiting factors above so that the Canadian cannabis industry can reach its full potential.
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