Canadian Cannabis Sales Slipped in September from Record Level

Statistics Canada released September retail sales for the country, with cannabis sales increasing from the August levels, down 1.4% to C$475.0 million.  This sequential decline was up on a per-day basis due to the lower number of days as the prior month. August, originally reported at C$498.7 million, was revised slightly higher to C$503.1 million. The sales in September were up 6.6% from a year ago, down from the level in May at 8.3% and from 7.5% in June. This was also down from the 20.3% August 2023 growth rate and above the prior lowest annual  growth rate since legalization commenced  of -0.9% in September 2024, and it was down substantially from the December growth of 9.1%.  The record growth in August was only 1.8% above the year-earlier level. In 2024, total sales increased 4.5% to C$5.39 billion, and they are up 4.9% so far in 2025.

An increase in the number of stores as well as falling flower prices that bring consumers from the illicit market have been boosting sales. In Ontario, the largest province in population, sales were down 5.0% from August and less than 1% from a year ago. Alberta was down 5.5% from August and up 4% from a year ago. British Columbia fell 6.0% from August as it increased 1% from a year ago, while Quebec was down 5.2% from August and up 48% from a year ago.

The October sales data will be released on December 19th.