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Abstract
Plain Language SummaryAfter Canada legalized recreational cannabis in October 2018, legal retailing steadily expanded. From 2019 to 2023, licensed cannabis store numbers grew 13-fold, while cannabis prices fell 28%. This study explored changes in cannabis usage during that commercialization period, i.e., after legalization’s initial impact. Did Canadians use it more widely, more frequently, at younger ages, or in different forms? And did those changes seem related to the country’s rapid retail developments? The analysis found that the percentage of people who consumed cannabis increased among women and people aged 25 and up but not among men and people aged 16–24. This growth was greater when cannabis was cheaper but seemed unrelated to the number of licensed stores. The average age when consumers first used cannabis also increased, especially when there were lower prices and more stores. Consumers increasingly switched from smoking dried cannabis to eating cannabis-infused foods. This switching was greater when prices were lower but seemed unrelated to the number of stores. The percentage of cannabis consumers who used it daily did not increase. Overall, Canadian cannabis usage experienced relatively modest changes during 2019–2023, especially when compared to the greatly increased retail accessibility and affordability. Those usage changes seemed related more to falling cannabis prices than to rising store numbers.
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