Pot mostly good quality low cost in province, ‘StatsCannabis’ indicates
Statistics Canada has persuaded a handful of Saskatchewan people to weigh in on their weed use. And the verdict is in: Marijuana in the province is both strong and cheap.
The agency’s StatsCannabis portal is designed to help measure “the evolving social and economic impacts of cannabis legalization.” It asks users to anonymously report their marijuana purchases to the data agency, including how much they paid, how much they bought and how satisfactory the product turned out to be.
With only 71 responses, collected over a one-week period last month, the data is not sufficient to draw many statistically robust conclusions. But it sheds some light on the province’s weed economy as the advent of legalization looms.
StatsCannabis gives an average price of about $6.40 per gram for all purchases of cannabis in Saskatchewan during the period — a bit less than the national average. Prices varied widely, however, with a single gram running anywhere from $5 to $20. An ounce, or 28 grams, could cost as little as $100 or as much as $300. The average came in at $175.
Marijuana prices have been dropping recently in both the province and the nation. In Saskatchewan, the price was at more than $10 per gram from 2012 to 2014, then began to fall. Average price per gram hit $7.05 last year, according to a Statistics Canada estimate. That trend has apparently continued into 2018.
Saskatchewan people who responded to the survey seemed relatively satisfied with their purchases. There were only six reports of “low” quality marijuana — four of them located at Lac La Ronge. Every other purchase netted “medium” or “high” quality weed.
Regina was home to 14 responses. A majority — nine — involved highquality marijuana. Saskatoon residents made 24 entries in the portal, with 16 of them clicking “high.”
StatsCannabis also assessed whether users bought their weed for medicinal or recreational purposes. In Saskatchewan, 44 of the 71 responses said purchases were for recreational use. The rest were described as medicinal, though only a few said they used a medical document.
Among all responses, a majority reported daily use of the drug.