Data Dive: Canadian Medical Marijuana Patient Total Tops 200,000

Gage Peake October 23, 2017

Aerial photo of Vancouver, BC, Canada. (MaxBaumann/iStock)

Canada’s medical marijuana industry continues to grow at steady rate, according to the most recent data released by Health Canada.

Several things stand out from the market report, but probably most notable is the number of medical patients topping 200,000. The majority of patients reside in Ontario and Alberta; Ontario contains 86,000 patients, and Alberta had 74,000 as of the end of this past June.

Province	April Total Patients	May Total Patients	June Total Patients
Alberta	60,479	68,055	74,013
British Columbia	7,454	7,756	8,103
Manitoba	2,987	3,325	3,598
New Brunswick	5,284	5,511	5,748
Newfoundland and Labrador	1,853	2,027	2,162
Northwest Territories	112	123	125
Nova Scotia	7,685	8,087	8,737
Nunavut	47	45	46
Ontario	77,692	81,522	86,196
Prince Edward Island	739	782	831
Quebec	5,149	5,330	5,630
Saskatchewan	4,937	5,535	6,108
Yukon	85	102	101

One surprising figure: the low patient total in British Columbia. BC and Alberta are roughly comparable in population (3.8 million and 3.2 million, respectively), but Alberta has about nine times as many medical marijuana patients registered with Health Canada.

Province	Adult Population (18+)	Number of Patients	Patients Per 1,000 Adults
British Columbia	3,867,520	8,103	2.10
Alberta	3,288,450	74,013	22.51
Saskatchewan	883,780	6,108	6.91
Manitoba	1,018,630	3,598	3.53
Ontario	11,194,980	86,196	7.70
Quebec	6,698,900	5,630	0.84
Newfoundland	433,870	2,162	4.98
New Brunswick	616,490	5,748	9.32
Prince Edward Island	119,470	831	6.95
Nova Scotia	778,020	8,737	11.23
Yukon	29,490	101	3.42
Northwest Territories	32,900	125	3.80
Nunavut	28,800	46	1.60

The agency’s data also tracks the amount of cannabis sold to patients in the first quarter of the 2017-18 fiscal year. In those three months, April-June, there was steady growth in cannabis sold, cannabis released for sale, as well as the amount of cannabis inventories at licensed producer’s facilities.

Canada cannabis sales data medical marijuana patients

Gage Peake

Gage Peake is a former staff writer for Leafly, where he specialized in data journalism, sports, and breaking news coverage. He's a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

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Turner Kayston

To quote:
“One surprising figure: the low patient total in British Columbia. BC and Alberta are roughly comparable in population (3.8 million and 3.2 million, respectively), but Alberta has about nine times as many medical marijuana patients registered with Health Canada.”

I just choked on my banana bread reading this part.

That’s because they have BC Bud (British Columbia, Bud), not Big Corporate, Bud.

There just is no comparison… mmmmm, brb…
Charlie Picco

They are the smart ones , they grow their own , & some of the best !
- Dave Nonemaker
  
  Grow yer own is it, should b legal as tomatoes, but U know, ther still alot a oinkies out there!
  - sunsetair
    
    I thought growing a couple plants is legal, but I could be mistaking. Every state in US is different. At least Canada has the same rules from one province to another.
    - Amber Johnston
      
      In Canada right now you can not grow your own unless you are a medical patient with that on your script. Possession of any amount, if your not a patient, is illegal. I agree, once people start growing at home cannabis like tomato plants,the hysteria will die down. These numbers are so skewed and they will probably never know the real numbers.
    - Shelley Phelps
      
      Yep! Oregon laws about cannabis changes so often it’s frustrating.
Keith Gustafson

Gov. Wants to overprice, over charge and have a lock on the pot industry and charge more then street at times but growing it is cheap!!!! Why am I going broke with my rx for pot in CT.!!! 400$ per ounce is ridiculous!!!! $200 Max for patients with rx!!! Rest pay more. Thank you! Pass it on that we the people are being ripped off!! Need better strains and grow my own would be perfect since I am disabled and low income so a expensive rx for nerve damage n more issues that only good pot works on my way of life n it being even slightly normal!
originalone

Stands to reason about Alberta, considering oil sands industry there, which has its own health issues, as well as outsiders being employed too?

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