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Here’s How Much Weed Was Sold On Canada’s Legalization Day
Cannabis was “flying off the shelves” in retail outlets and online stores across the country as soon as the clock struck midnight Wednesday.
The demand was so high that pot stores reported running low or completely out of cannabis on the first day. So how much weed did Canadians purchase on legalization day?
Here is a breakdown of the cannabis sales by province (Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland did not get back to Global News at the time of publication).
British Columbia
Nearly 10,000 cannabis sales were made in British Columbia on Wednesday.
According to the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, a total of 9,980 orders were placed — 9,175 of which were online sales. Around 800 sales were made at the only government-run store open on Day 1. It’s in Kamloops.
The government did not provide the total sales, but the cheapest weed you can buy in the province is a pre-roll for $4.20. So if the baseline is set at the minimum price, B.C. made around $41,000 in sales that day.
Alberta
Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis said it made nearly $730,000 in sales that day. As of 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the province recorded around 8,300 sales.
Watch below: More questions were being raised about Alberta’s cannabis supply on Friday. Some retailers have sold out already and experts warn we may face shortages for years. Fletcher Kent reports.
Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Liquor & Gaming Authority said it does not track cannabis sales as private retailers sell recreational marijuana and the product comes from federally licensed producers or private wholesalers.
READ MORE: Sask. cannabis prices among the highest in the country
Quebec
The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) said there were 42,000 cannabis orders processed on the first day of legalization, with 12,500 in-store transactions and 30,000 online orders.
“This volume of orders far exceeds the SQDC’s expectations, but also demonstrates the robustness of the company’s systems,” the SQDC said in a statement.
Quebec has previously said products would be priced at a minimum of $5.25 a gram, taxes included, meaning if every customer limited themselves to one gram of the cheapest product, the province would have pulled in $220,500 in sales.
Nova Scotia
It was a big day for Nova Scotia. The province made 12,180 cannabis transactions on the first day of legalization.
Beverley Ware, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation said the transactions totalled “just over $660,000 in sales” and that almost $47,000 of those sales were online.
New Brunswick
Cannabis NB said it’s choosing not to release its cannabis sales.
“We want to take the extra time to do a manual analysis of our foot traffic, sales, and inventory to ensure that they are all function as prescribe,” a spokesperson told Global News.
READ MORE: Where can I buy pot? A coast-to-coast guide for marijuana legalization day
P.E.I.
P.E.I. Cannabis said it made a total of $152,408 in sales after tax on Wednesday. Online sales accounted for $20,974 and stores brought in around $131,434.
