Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada were higher during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic sales.
The study used information from the Canadian Bureau of Statistics to compare alcohol and cannabis sales during the 16 months before and after the pandemic began .
“These results provide one of the first national views on changes in alcohol and cannabis use during a pandemic,” said James MacKillop, director of PBCAR and co-author of the study.
According to a survey, alcohol and cannabis sales exceeded expectations by about 15% in March 2020.
In particular, the contrast between alcohol and cannabis increases is consistent with another study of self-reported changes in cannabis use due to pandemics among Canadians by the Center for Addiction and Mental Health.
While the forecast included a rapidly expanding legal market, the pandemic could have moved cannabis consumers from illegal markets to legal online purchases, MacKillop added.