Cannabis in Canada, by the numbers
What the data actually says about legal cannabis in Canada, how much is sold, how many people use it, and how far the legal market has come. Every figure is sourced from Statistics Canada and Health Canada. Free to cite, a link back to LeafNorth is appreciated.
Last reviewed: July 2026
How many Canadians use cannabis
In 2024, 26% of people aged 16 and older reported using cannabis for non-medical purposes in the previous 12 months, up from 22% in 2018, the year it was legalized. Use is far more common among younger adults than older ones.
Source: Health Canada, Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024.
The legal market is winning
Canadians bought $5.5 billion of legal cannabis in the year from April 2024 to March 2025 to 6.1% more than the year before. And the legal market now dominates: more than 70% of the value of all cannabis consumed in Canada comes from legal sources, up from about 22% right after legalization in late 2018.
And it has grown every single year, legal sales are up more than a third in just three years:
Source: Statistics Canada, Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada (annual reports, fiscal years ending March 31).
At the person level, 71.7% of past-year users said they bought only from legal stores. When asked why they choose the legal market, the top reasons were:
| Reason for buying legal | Share of users |
|---|---|
| Product safety | 38% |
| Convenience | 17% |
| Wanting to follow the law | 13% |
Sources: Statistics Canada (retail sales & legal-market share); Health Canada, Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024 (source of purchase & reasons).
The retail footprint
By early 2024 there were more than 3,600 licensed cannabis stores across Canada, in every province and territory. Ontario has by far the most, around 1,457 stores in mid-2024, reflecting its large, privately-run retail model.
Source: industry trackers (MJBizDaily, StratCann). There is no single official national store count; figures vary by tracker and date.
Want the rules, not just the numbers?
Legal age, possession limits, and home-growing are set province by province.
Sources & notes
Every figure above comes from the sources below. Where a statistic has a reference period, we've kept it. We update this page as new official data is released; always check the original source for the latest.
- Statistics Canada, Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada, April 2024 to March 2025 Legal cannabis sales of $5.5 billion, +6.1% year over year.
- Health Canada, Canadian Cannabis Survey 2024: Summary Past-year use (26%), use by age, buying from legal sources (71.7%), and reasons for choosing legal.
- Statistics Canada, Cannabis consumption in Canada Legal market's share of consumed value climbing past 70%.
- Health Canada, Cannabis market data Official market and licensing data.
- MJBizDaily, Canadian cannabis stores by province and territory Licensed retail store counts by region.
Know the rules where you live
Legal age, retail, and home-growing all change at the provincial border.