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Gap between cost of legal and illegal cannabis keeps growing: Stats Canada

In B.C., legal pot cost $9.32 per gram when bought legally
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Cannabis buds lay along a drying rack at the CannTrust Niagara Greenhouse Facility in Fenwick, Ont., on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. The gap between legal and illegal cannabis prices in Canada is increasing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin

The difference between the price of legal and illegal cannabis is increasing, according to data released Thursday by Statistics Canada.

Canada-wide, the average price of legal cannabis jumped to $10.30 per gram in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to $9.69 a year earlier. The price of illegal cannabis decreased during the same time period from $6.44 per gram to $5.73.

Cannabis was legalized for recreational use in October 2018, although edibles are only now showing up on store shelves.

In B.C., legal pot cost $9.32 per gram during the last quarter of 2019, and just $5.95 when bought illicitly.

Quebec had the cheapest legal cannabis at $7.88 per gram, while New Brunswick had the most expensive at $11.36.

New Brunswick also had the cheapest illegal pot at $4.90 per gram, while Ontario had the most expensive at $6.03.

Statistics Canada found that men were much more likely to buy illicit cannabis, with 41.1 per cent of their cannabis coming from illegal sources, compared to 25.4 per cent purchased legally. For women, only 15.9 per cent was purchased illegally.

READ MORE: Cannabis cookies, vapes, beverages, creams arriving in B.C.

READ MORE: Quebec raising legal age for cannabis to 21


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