Sask. sees lowest amount of pot smokers: report

It would appear Saskatchewan people don’t smoke as much pot as other provinces, or at least they don’t report it on surveys.

Statistics Canada is attempting to cut through some of the haze in the potential pot industry with a report breaking down the average consumption of cannabis and the average price across different provinces.

It shows Saskatchewan people consumed an average of 16.37 grams per capita, compared to the national average of 21.1 grams per person per year.

Nova Scotia ranked among the highest consumers of pot at 27.1 grams, with B.C. coming in second with an average of 24.6 grams and Alberta close behind at 24.1 grams per person per year.

The breakdown also showed Alberta had the highest proportion of people using legal medical marijuana at 25 per cent. Saskatchewan pot users with a prescription represented about 11.5 percent of the total compared to a national average of 10.4 per cent.

The report called The Cannabis Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts shows about 4.9 million Canadians between the ages of 15 and 64 spent about $5.6 billion on marijuana for medical and recreational use in 2017. The statistics agency notes the numbers are provisional estimates because they’re based on several assumptions, models and sparse data sources because it’s still illegal to buy or smoke without a prescription.

It also appears to show the average price of pot per gram has gone down over the last few years from $8.19 per gram down to $7.25 nationally. The highest prices reported were in Nunavut at $12.61 and the Northwest Territories at $11.11. Saskatchewan pot users are paying close to the national average at about $7.25.