Drug laws have enticed cannabis users toward legal products, although the laws of economics continue to affect prices regardless of legality.
The News-Optimist recently asked local legal cannabis retailers some pricing questions.
The price conscious product Edison Rio Brava, in a 3.5 gram package, cost $10 per gram at 5Buds in North Battleford and Jimmy’s Cannabis Shop in Battleford. It cost $10.86 per gram at Fire and Flower in North Battleford.
According to Statistics Canada, bulk prices of cannabis from illegal sources are likely lower.
Last year, Statistics Canada released the crowd sourcing application StatsCannabis “to try and capture changes in consumer behaviours” due to legalized cannabis.
StatsCanada advises readers take caution with the numbers as they could be subject to statistical bias.
StatsCanada found the unweighted average price per gram of cannabis in Canada was $6.83 in 2018, according to 19,442 StatsCannabis submissions.
After legalization, StatsCanada estimated the average price per gram of cannabis to be $8.02 per gram, according to 385 submissions. About half the 385 submissions were bought from legal sources.
From Oct. 17 to Dec. 31, 2018, buyers paid nearly $10 per gram for cannabis from legal suppliers, while the average price for illegal suppliers was $6.52.
Another factor affecting the StatsCannabis figures was the average quantity purchased: buyers bought an average 8.3 grams from legal suppliers, while the average quantity bought from illegal suppliers was more than 17 grams.
The data also note men were more likely to buy cannabis from a legal supplier than women were.
Saskatchewan’s numbers were close to those of the rest of the country. The average pre-legalization price was $7.28.
According to updated information from StatsCanada, the average price of post-legalization cannabis was $8.02 per gram.
However, the Saskatchewan numbers were subject to fewer StatsCannabis submissions than Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
Selling small quantities of cannabis for $7.28, while below market value, would be unviable for local retailers and likely wouldn’t turn a profit. The local retailers say their prices are affected by government remuneration and strict guidelines.
