The cannabis market continues to grow across Toronto after cannabis was legalized within Canada just over four years ago, and it seems buying patterns have changed and are people making the switch to buying legal cannabis.
Jordan Milner, store manager at multiple Spiritleaf locations across Toronto, feels that the quality of cannabis continues to increase as more dispensaries pop up across the city.
“I think the most important thing is accessibility and trust,” he said. “There are so many dispensaries, and the quality of the product just keeps getting better and better, that there isn’t really much point in absorbing the risks that come with buying (and consuming) illegal products.
When purchasing illicit drugs, health risks come into play as you cannot guarantee that the drugs being purchased are clean and safe for consumption.
Chris Mills, a worker at Spiritleaf cannabis, told Humber Et Cetera that information on the cannabis being purchased is expanding.
“If you look at the packaging the stuff comes in now, the information that they give you just keeps expanding,” he said. “There are certain types of weed for different ailments, and before legalization, you were at the mercy of your dealer and whatever he said you were getting.”
In a study from Statistics Canada, 68 per cent of consumers purchased their cannabis through a legal source, and 35 per cent reported that they purchased their cannabis through an illegal supplier.
However as dispensaries continue to open, the rates of purchasing from illegal suppliers are expected to decrease.
Mykola Wojtowicz, a student at Laurier University, told Humber Et Cetera legal cannabis is still expensive.
“It’s still a bit pricey,” she said. “I’ll treat myself with some strong legal stuff every now and then, but there’s no doubt that you will spend more money that way.
“Legal weed is unquestionably a better product, so there is a tradeoff,” Wojtowicz said.
Both Milner and Mills said they haven’t noticed a broad increase in use since the pandemic, but they have noticed a change in the way people consume cannabis.
“During COVID, people would just be buying standard flower and bud,” Mills said. “Now, people are going back out into the world more and we are selling more of the pre-rolled joints and stuff that you can take on the go.”
“There isn’t as much time to sit around at home and smoke, but people still want to get their high, so they are adapting to other methods,” Milner said.