Earlier this week, marijuana was legalized in Canada for recreational use. Canada is the first G7 country and second nation in the world to legalize cannabis.
Marijuana was already legal in some areas of the country for medical purposes only. However, back in July, it was announced that the Canadian parliament had voted to legalize cannabis for recreational use.
The drug will be controlled in the same way as alcohol. People above the age of 18 will be able to buy, sell, grow and possess recreational marijuana.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted earlier today,
It’s been too easy for our kids to get marijuana – and for criminals to reap the profits. Today, we change that. Our plan to legalize & regulate marijuana just passed the Senate. #PromiseKept
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2018
Canadian suppliers struggle to meet demand
Last Wednesday was the first day people were able to legally purchase marijuana. Retailers and online stores either ran out or had very little stock after the first day.
The SQDC (Société québécoise du cannabis) announced
“This volume of orders far exceeds the forecasts of the SQDC.” They also said “[It was] difficult to anticipate the volume of sales, given the lack of data from a sector that 48 hours ago was still illegal.”
In provinces like Quebec, there were 42,000 orders, at a minimum price of $5.25 a gram.
While in British Colombia, nearly 10,000 orders were processed at a minimum price of $4.20 a gram.
Ontario announced that there were around 38,000 orders processed, worth Can$750,000.
Alberta announced that nearly Can$730,000 was made in sales by Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis. While Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island reported sales of about Can$660,000 and Can$152,000, respectively.
