Demand for illegal cannabis still high, 1 year after legalization
More Canadians are buying cannabis from illegal sources than legal ones, according to Statistics Canada
Thursday, October 17, 2019
One year after the federal government legalized recreational marijuana, 60 per cent of Canadians are still buying the drug on the black market or from sources that are not entirely legal, according to Statistics Canada data. The Liberal government's main argument for legalization was a push to take the drug out of the hands of children and the profits out of those of criminals. And although the percentage of illegal sales has steadily been going down since Oct. 17 of last year, the black market today remains a $4-billion-a-year industry, according to numbers from Statistics Canada. Those illegal sales can take many shapes. (See also: Transform: Cannabis legalisation in Canada – One year on)