Up in smoke: 5 years after legalization, cannabis use higher while companies burn out

published on October 17, 2023 by Daniel Otis in CTV News

Five years after legalization, the number of Canadians using recreational cannabis keeps getting higher while the sector shows signs of burning out.

According to new research from Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians reported using cannabis in 2020 — a six per cent increase from before legalization. Output from the new cannabis industry has meanwhile been shrinking since late 2022.

Canada’s Cannabis Act legalized recreational use and sales five years ago, on Oct. 17, 2018.

“During this time, Statistics Canada has been contributing to an improved understanding of the social, health and economic impacts of this policy change,” the Statistics Canada report said.

The statistics agency says the rate of cannabis use more than doubled in the country between 1985 and 2017, when it reached 14.8 per cent of adults. By 2022, the number of adults reporting cannabis use in the past year had climbed to more than one in four Canadians, or 27 per cent, according to Statistics Canada…