StatsCannabis data availability: Crowdsourced cannabis prices, third quarter 2018
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Released: 2018-10-04
For the first nine months of 2018, the average price of cannabis was $6.86 per gram based on the information submitted by Canadians to the StatsCannabis crowdsourcing application.
This estimate, which comes from 19,021 valid price quotes ranging from $2 to $20 per gram, is subject to potential statistical bias because the sample is self-selected and therefore caution must be exercised when interpreting the data.
Cannabis prices increase
The price of dried cannabis reported increased 1.3%, from $7.10 per gram in the second quarter to $7.20 per gram in the third quarter. The third quarter price was based upon 1,277 submissions anonymously submitted by Canadians to the StatsCannabis website, up from 859 submissions in the second quarter. Higher prices were primarily reported in Ontario, up 5.8% to $7.49 per gram. Individuals in British Columbia reported the largest decline in the average price, down 7.5% from the second quarter to $7.04 per gram.
Chart 1
Reported cannabis prices, 2018
Medical users consume more cannabis on average per month than non-medical users
In the first nine months of 2018, Canadians who consumed cannabis reported an average consumption of 19.8 grams per month of dried cannabis. The amount consumed and prices paid varied by purpose. Individuals medicating with a medical document reported an average consumption of 36.9 grams per month with an average price of $7.27 per gram. By contrast, individuals consuming cannabis for non-medical use averaged 15.6 grams per month with an average price of $6.79 per gram.
Prices vary by census metropolitan area
Among the 10 largest census metropolitan areas (CMA) in Canada, the price for dried cannabis was highest in Toronto, with an average price of $8.05 per gram, followed by Edmonton at $7.52 per gram. Montréal ($5.92 per gram) and Québec ($5.97 per gram) had the lowest average prices.
Chart 2
Cannabis prices, by census metropolitan area
The StatsCannabis web application—StatsCannabis Crowdsourcing Application—continues to collect important information on Canadian cannabis consumption throughout the transition to legalization on October 17, 2018. Individuals are encouraged to report pertinent information collected through this application to ensure the highest possible quality.
Note to readers
For comparability, each quarter is weighted to the proportions of distribution for purpose of usage to the first quarter national distributions.
This release uses the Statistics Canada's crowd sourced data application "StatsCannabis." The web application provides a platform for consumers of recreational and medical cannabis to anonymously provide information on prices paid and quantities purchased. StatsCannabis has been collecting information from consumers since January 2018 and has received 21,152 responses over that period.
The reporting period for the crowdsourcing application in this release is January 25 to September 27, 2018. Caution must be exercised when interpreting these data because the sample is self-selected and the sample size dropped rapidly from January through September. The estimates may therefore be subject to statistical bias. Statistics Canada has developed a routine to detect outliers (extreme values) in reported data. They have been eliminated from the calculations. While 21,152 responses were received, 19,021 were used in the calculations.
Products
The product Cannabis Stats Hub (13-610-X) is available.
The Latest Developments in the Canadian Economic Accounts (13-605-X) is available.
The User Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-606-G) is available.
The Methodological Guide: Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts (13-607-X) is available.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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