Yukoners buy the most legal pot per capita from retail stores in Canada, study says

YukonersledCanadians in buyingthe most legal pot per capitafrom retail stores in the first year of legalization,according to a study released by Statistics Canada.

The report on retailpot sales in Canada online or in person shows that between October 2018and September 2019,Yukoners spent an average of $103 per person, generating$4.2 million in total sales.

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia followed Yukon in per capita sales at $97and $68respectively, while Ontarioled overall sales at$217 million.

Per capita sales in the Northwest Territories were$61 and overall sales were $2.7 million. The study didnot include statisticsfor Nunavut,because it does not have a physical retail store.

The study also did not include statistics about the salesof medical marijuana.

The reportsays regional differences between total and per capita sales may be explained in part byaccess to cannabis stores and the staggered entry ofretail businesses to the market.

As of July2019, 45 per cent of Canadians lived within 10 km of a cannabis store compared to 31 per cent in the Yukon, and 62 per cent in the N.W.T.

Across the country, there are more than 400 brick-and-mortar cannabis stores and Canadians spent about $908 million at those stores or online, according to the report.

Yukon has three private stores in operation, with another scheduled to open in Carmackson Dec. 16. The Yukon government closed its pot store in October, to make way for private business.

In the N.W.T., pot is sold at five locationsindifferent communities.

In Nunavut, cannabis is sold online through theNunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission's approved companies.