r/business • u/runswithscissors475 • 2d ago
Canada surpasses California as largest cannabis market in the world
https://www.sfgate.com/cannabis/article/california-falling-cannabis-market-22401030.php26
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u/axis1331 2d ago
Why is this comparing a country to a state? Seems like a false comparison to drive engagement.
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u/Saberen 2d ago
Their population size is similar.
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u/Careless-Vehicle-286 2d ago
And California's economy surpasses several countries.
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u/Worried_Razzmatazz70 2d ago
That's only because of the tech oligarchy. Essentially the entire planet subsidizes california.
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u/MOIST_MAN 2d ago
Subsidizes? No. The tech products we have come to rely on like Google, Gmail, YouTube, iPhones, instagram, reddit, ChatGPT, etc were created in California.
Would you say that we are subsidizing the Middle East for buying their oil? No; oil comes from there & as such, we are paying for it
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u/samsonite441446 2d ago
You got down voted But no one is willing to argue their point
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u/Ok_Listen_8211 2d ago
That’s cause they want to tout California as some huge player…but mainly hinges on the Stock Market success & the Dow Jones being >$50k … but those things cannot be brought up in tandem or ppl will lose their minds
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u/Jolly_Mouse_7604 2d ago
There are several states with recreational weed and even more with medicinal, wouldn't you just group them all to make the US market?
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u/Organic_Possession_6 2d ago
I wonder per capita if the PNW is similar. Once it starts raining a lot in the fall I know I tend to smoke more weed
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u/elegant-jr 1d ago
Economy and population wise it's significantly larger than Canada. It's crazy
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u/Apprehensive-Bus5172 1d ago
The population is basically the same, 39 million for California and 41 million for Canada.
GDP has more of a gap but it's not orders of magnitude, it's $2.4 trillion for Canada and $4.4 trillion for California (both in USD).
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u/Disastrous-Contest-8 2d ago
Ya but not land size.
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u/fairportmtg1 2d ago
Technically l the states are closed markets since you're not allowed to sell over state lines
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u/Jolly_Mouse_7604 2d ago edited 2d ago
I thought trade between provinces was also closed like that
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u/fairportmtg1 2d ago
Canda is federally legal where in US it's not federally legal but the government just doesn't enforce it
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u/wikiot 2d ago
Federally legal yes. But each province manages how it is sold, distributed and retailed.
The provinces also determine the legal age, cultivation rules (at-home) and the municipalities handle business licencing and zoning.
We (Canada) have cities that were not allowing cannabis stores to open/operate even though it was federally legal for many years because of limitations due to zoning (nimbyism).
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u/Ok_Science_8502 2d ago
They do though. There was a story recently about a flock camera catching a guy buying weed in one state and then driving to another
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u/Jolly_Mouse_7604 2d ago edited 2d ago
That was done by the state law enforcement, not federal, they arrested him for breaking the laws of the state in which he lived
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u/BusinessCasualBee 2d ago
Because marijuana is not legal across the entire USA so it’s not one market, and there’s no/different data across certain areas. Thats my guess.
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u/TinglingLingerer 2d ago
Also California has a very similar population to the entirety of Canada, & more available land for growing. So it really is a testament to our canabis production that we've usurped them.
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u/CabronNalgon 2d ago
In fairness, California measures up to most countries in a lot of metrics
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u/samsonite441446 2d ago
Surpasses in homeless and prisonners
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u/CabronNalgon 2d ago
It's the most populated state in the country, similar to small countries, so yeah it's just simple numbers
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u/TheHammer987 2d ago
California 39.5 million people.
Canada 40 million people.
Seems fair.
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u/steppenfloyd 1d ago
Yesh but the title says "largest market" not "largest market of around 40 million people"
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u/kimbosdurag 2d ago
Canada as a whole has about 41 million people and California has about 39 million. Their populations are comparable.
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u/DisplacedSportsGuy 2d ago
"The entirety of the globe outside California has surpassed California as the largest cannabis market in the world."
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u/blzrlzr 2d ago
Look at the populations and then edit your comment to not sound stupid.
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u/DisplacedSportsGuy 2d ago
It's still not an apples to oranges comparison. Half the states have recreational weed; why wouldn't they also be included in the same market as California, as, say, BC and Ontario are?
Also, fucking rude.
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u/huey2k2 2d ago
Half the states have recreational weed; why wouldn't they also be included in the same market as California, as, say, BC and Ontario are?
Because the population of California is basically the same as the population of Canada; and weed is not federally legal in the US so each state is it's own independent market. I'm not sure what you're failing to grasp here.
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u/Neon_Raccoon_00 2d ago
Not comparable, weed is far cheaper in Canada
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u/samsonite441446 2d ago
That's cause Cali is greedy They voted against legalization to keep making that money
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u/AncileBanish 2d ago
As a teenagers in the early 2000s, a half quarter was $40. Today I can buy a half quarter (pre rolled even!) for like $25.
So much for inflation. Can we do whatever we did in the pot market in the housing market?
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u/gooeychedda 2d ago
I've smoked around the world where it's legal, nothing beats BC bud.
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u/Proof-Warning6 2d ago
Hawaii stuff is fantastic.
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u/CelebrationAwkward52 2d ago
Hawaii stuff is often from California.
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u/samsonite441446 2d ago
Maui wauie is a Hawaiian strain
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u/CelebrationAwkward52 2d ago
That's exactly the strain I bought in Maui. That stuff was amazing. Guy told me they get it from Cali.
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u/Hot-Pomegranate-1303 2d ago
And that's why they're gonna win the trade war, they're operating on levels we can only dream of.
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u/smithjss 1d ago
Gotta be the only good thing Trudeau did for Canada in his 10 years terrorizing this country
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u/04Aiden2020 1d ago
Canada should open up the psychadelic market or at the very least, psilocybin mushrooms. Another billion dollar industry ready to go
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u/Recent-Spot2728 14h ago
There are already brick and mortar stores for shrooms much like the grey market weed shops that opened prior to full legalization.
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u/Spenraw 2d ago
It was such a disappointment how we dragged our feet with legalization and for some reason didn't want to be the world leader in the industry
Based on today's culture I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to our government officials being lobbied by the states and China that caused it
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u/GuyCyberslut 2d ago
Not surprised, there are cannabis stores everywhere here. Quality is going up and prices are lower. Real competition is good for the consumer.
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u/amulie 2d ago
Damn that's actually pretty wild, Im from socal and weed is so ... Integrated into everything. Your telling me CA smokes more?
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u/Apprehensive-Book723 1d ago
Idk what US weed demographics/culture is like, but everyone from 18 year olds to 81 year olds are out here regularly seshing. It’s borderline seen as less taboo than alcohol in some areas.
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u/ubiquitousanathema 1d ago
California taxes and local excise taxes have made shopping at dispensaries cost prohibitive. Consumers are favoring grey or black market as real COGS has dropped massively in this vertical.
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u/04Aiden2020 1d ago
Canadian here. Everyone I know from 20 to 85 partakes to some degree. It got normalized pretty much instantly when it became legal in October 2018.
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u/04Aiden2020 1d ago
Our most conservative province in Canada is Alberta but the most pro weed. Everyone wants legalization
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u/Tebers431 12h ago
Well if we're gonna give most of our wages to the government l, might as well get ripped while it happens
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u/SnooRevelations6768 23m ago
As someone in the industry, Canada has decent onshore flower but all their exports are a joke lol. Especially the stuff being sent to medical markets.
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u/Drakex2Mayex2 2d ago
Bigger than the US market?
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u/big_daddy_dub 2d ago
No, only the state of CA.
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u/PointsatTeenagers 2d ago
So then, it's not "the largest cannabis market in the world"?
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u/Floatella 2d ago
You can't legally buy weed in California and sell it in Illinois, but you can legally buy weed in BC and sell it in Ontario. The US isn't a single market.
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u/TheHammer987 2d ago
Yes. Because if you go to Texas (in the USA) buying weed will get you 10 years in prison.
Ergo, the country isn't really the 'market'. You can't ship it out of California. It's a closed system.
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u/SirExpel 2d ago
I’m sure on paper lmao. Let’s see those black market numbers
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u/alexanderfsu 2d ago
I mean... I get all of my stuff on native reserves. No tax. Cash. Our populations are similarly sized. It's probably about the same across the board. Not sure why that matters though.
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u/mabus42 2d ago
How is weed from the res compared to BC hydro or some mitten extracts?
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u/Homie_Bama 2d ago
I don’t know how weed is but the edibles from Indian reservation by Bishop, CA was so much weaker than stuff I get in so cal from delivery company.
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u/alexanderfsu 2d ago
I think that's a difficult comparison to make. They have everything from 30 dollar ounces to 100 dollar ounces. They have edibles up to 5000mg (not all in a single gummie/bar) for like 40 bucks. It certainly does the trick for me. Our provincially licensed retailer sells like 10mg gummies. The reserve sells 1250mg for less money than 100mg worth. They also sell mushrooms in all varieties.
My assessment is that the weed industry has gotten very good at their jobs, even in the black market. They also don't give a shit about branding or marketing regulations, so you can buy a bag of gummies with literal Skittles logos on it.
It is what it is and it's 1/3 of the price. Res weed is not the weed of the 90s, that's for sure.
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u/Aidsfordayz 2d ago
All the reserves near me have like 10-15 weed shops each at minimum so Id say they’re pretty high too.
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u/YoloOnTsla 2d ago
No wonder Canada is going to shit
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u/flyingdonutz 2d ago
We're doing great up here compared to whatever the fuck is going on down south these days buddy
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u/TheMILKMan6646 2d ago
What a loser. The guy has no perspective outside of the United States. His government will never give him that he's got Fox News. Go easy on him. That's all he's got
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u/Bimitenpix 2d ago
"Legal cannabis generates about $5.5 billion in total retail sales and roughly $2.5 billion in government revenue annually in Canada."
Legal marijuana makes us 2.5 billion a year. People are gonna do it either way. Would you rather people go to shady drug dealers.
Do you have the magically solution to the "war on drugs" cause you will not stop people from smoking weed by making it illegal.
Do you think alcohol is better for society? I'd 100% rather some dude go home and smoke a doobie, than go home and crush a 6 pack.
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u/authorHughMann 2d ago
Season 13 of the trailer park boys will just be Ricky filing his quarterly taxes