Canada now the world’s largest legal cannabis market

By United States Fish and Wildlife Service - [1], specifically CASA1_LF.jpg. (If the links expire, the photo can be found by searching for "cannabis" at the GIMP photo archive.)The original file with a watermark is at http://www.fws.gov/midwest/sherburne/CASA1.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21916

OTTAWA — Canada is now the largest legal cannabis market in the world by monthly retail sales, with dispensaries outnumbering liquor stores in some communities as national sales climb to record levels.

Statistics Canada says cannabis stores sold $517.8 million worth of products in June, setting a monthly record.

The previous month also surpassed half a billion dollars, with revised May sales reaching $510.4 million. Both totals exceeded the previous record of $508.6 million set in December 2025.

June sales were eight per cent higher than during the same month last year.

The growth has been accompanied by widespread retail access. Canada had 7.9 cannabis stores for every 100,000 people in December 2025, with some communities now reporting more cannabis retailers than liquor stores.

Canada’s June sales were equivalent to about US$374.5 million, narrowly placing it ahead of California’s US$372.4-million market.

The two jurisdictions have comparable populations, with about 41.4 million people in Canada and 39.5 million in California.

The June results placed California second in the world by monthly legal cannabis revenue. Michigan has sold more individual cannabis products than California since March 2024, although the total value of those products has remained lower.

Within Canada, Ontario remained the largest provincial cannabis market.

British Columbia moved ahead of Alberta to take second place among the provinces, leaving Alberta as the country’s third-largest provincial market.

British Columbia recorded the largest year-over-year increase in June at 28 per cent, followed by Manitoba at 19 per cent and Nova Scotia at 16 per cent.

Statistics Canada revised its initial May estimate upward by $25.3 million, or five per cent. Most of the adjustment came from British Columbia, where the estimate increased by $21.2 million.