Alcohol Sales See Historic Decline While Cannabis Sales Rise

Sales of alcohol and cannabis in Canada are on opposite trajectories, according to data from Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency of the Canadian government.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, sales of adult-use cannabis products increased 6.5 percent. By contrast, alcohol sales revenue declined by 1.6 percent.

Canadians purchased $5.5 billion worth of cannabis products in the last fiscal year, with sales of herbal cannabis products comprising approximately 60 percent of all sales.

Canada legalized the adult-use marijuana market in 2018.

Data from several US jurisdictions, including California, have identified a relationship between legal cannabis access and decreasing alcohol consumption. Survey data published in 2024 in The Harm Reduction Journal found that 60 percent of cannabis consumers acknowledge using it to reduce their alcohol intake.