Atlantic Canada Using the Most Legal Cannabis, Stats Show
Credit to Author: Mack Lamoureux| Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2019 16:33:52 +0000
It’s no secret that East Coasters love their weed—I mean if you ever interact with one for longer than two or three minutes you’ll probably hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.
So it was nicely fitting that the first legal weed sold in Canada was in Newfoundland and it wasn’t too surprising that shortly after legalization Nova Scotia found itself in a crisis for not having enough. Now, according to Stats Canada, we’re able to provide some figures to back up the stereotype of the loveable stoned Atlantic Canadian.
Now before we get into this, I want you to keep in mind the national average in which Canadians spend on pot is $2.65 per person—this may be a skewed slighty downwards because some data wasn’t available. The table in which it’s possible to figure this out from is here but I warn you, it’s very, very boring.
The largest sales in total obviously come from some the largest provinces, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. There is no surprise there—more people, more sales—where it gets interesting though is when we break it down to per capita. When we do that it becomes clear that no one in Canada loves their sticky-icky more than East Coasters.
Leading the way is PEI—sweet, gentle, tiny PEI. Canada’s smallest province sold $2.1 million worth of weed in the two months of 2018 in which cannabis was legal. Boiled down to per person, that for every one of the 152,021 Islanders out there, $13.81 was spent on pot.
Good job guys.
Nova Scotia sold over $10 million in the good stuff over the two months. Meaning that Nova Scotians spend over 10 bucks per person on getting their hands on some cannabis. Following up the bluenosers was Newfoundland and Labrador who spent around $4.3 million on weed in October and December, meaning the 528,817 Newfoundland and Labradorians out there spent an average of $8.1—congrats to Canada’s best province on a well earned third place finish. Now, the most forgettable province of the lot, New Brunswick, brings in the rear of the Atlantic with an average of $6.87 per person.
Finally, FINALLY, we reach the mainland regarding per capita spending on pot and arrive at wildrose country, Alberta—the fine, easily offended Albertans finished with about $4.53 per person.
After the top five though, there is a swift drop off—most likely due to their shitty roll out or lack of data (no data for the territories and Manitoba were released.) Quebec finished with $2.50 per person, Ontario with $1.54, and Saskatchewan with $1.29.
Now we get to British Columbia who came in dead fucking last. Yes, the province that boasts of BC bud and loving the ganja so much it’s pretty much become a major(ly annoying) part of their identity botched the legalization of weed so hard that in the two months it was open they only sold 69 cents [nice] per person in the province.
Seriously BC, get it the fuck together or else we’re going to export your identity to PEI.
Sign up for the VICE Canada Newsletter to get the best of VICE Canada delivered to your inbox.
Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.