Five years after recreational marijuana was legalized in Canada, the industry has seen its share of ups and downs, but with almost 4,000 retailers nationwide, it has most certainly carved out its spot in the marketplace.
The Cannabis Act came into effect on Oct. 17, 2018, which legalized and regulates the production, distribution, sale, import, export and possession of cannabis.
During the first year of legalization, products were limited to fresh and dried cannabis, alongside cannabis oil, seeds and plants. Later on in 2019, a wider array of products, including extracts, edibles, and topicals, became available for sale.
According to information from Stats Can, annual sales of cannabis in 2022 totaled $4.5 billion.
Okotoks is home to at least half a dozen cannabis stores, which are doing, by all accounts, a healthy business.
Rod King, the manager of Plantlife Cannabis that opened in Cornerstone shortly after legalization, said demographics and stigma are two of the biggest changes he’s seen over the past five years.
“My expectation working here was to see a whole bunch of the younger crowd and at this point, nothing could be further from the truth,” King said. “We serve a variety of people, but a lot of my demographic is over the age of 30.”
As far as the most popular products are concerned, he said the convenience of pre-rolls make them a big seller while those looking to roll their own go with the dried flower. King said the 510 cartridges filled with cannabis oil are also extremely popular based on their discreteness.
He said customers also come in for the medicinal properties offered by CBD oil capsules and ointment, and are gravitating to cannabis-infused beverages flavoured like soft drinks and beer.
“There's definitely a lot of people finding the benefits of going to a cannabis-related product,” King said. "Beverages are something sought after by people who are actually not looking to drink alcohol.”
Brad Hawes, manager of Canna Cabana on Stockton Avenue, said the industry has grown immensely in the two years he’s been involved, adding that more and more brands are releasing products in response to consumer demand.
“I think people are just really happy that they finally have a safe space where they don't have to worry about what's in the bag,” Hawes said.
“We have a lot of customers who come in and they're like, wow, back in my day, you get this or this and that's about it. And now we’ve got options.”
He said dried flowers and vape cartridges continue to prove popular, but many customers are also turning to marijuana for its health benefits.
“There's a lot of people who have found that cannabis has been able to positively affect their lives as opposed to some doctor-prescribed stuff because it's pretty much a fully natural plant,” he added.
Hawes said one concern from customers is the limited THC content in edibles.
- With files from Daniel Gonzalez
