Price, convenience, quality products key factors driving illegal cannabis sales.
Price is the main reason consumers purchase illegal cannabis, according to a recent report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
ByBonno
Illegal Cannabis MarketPhoto via Unsplash
Despite cannabis legalization measures in Canada and several U.S. states, cost, quality and convenience continue to fuel the illegal cannabis market.
According to a recent report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, higher prices, poor quality products and inconvenience are the key factors dissuading consumers from transitioning to legal cannabis sources.
Compiling the report, researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario examined data from the 2019 and 2021 International Cannabis Policy Study, which surveyed participants who were asked for the reasons they had purchased illegal cannabis during the previous 12 months.
“Legal sources had higher prices” was the top answer in both Canada (35.9 per cent in 2019, 34.6 per cent in 2020) and the United State (27.3 per cent in 2019, 26.7 per cent in 2020).
“Legal sources were less convenient” and “legal stores were too far away/there are none where I live” also ranked high on the list, ranging from 10.6 per cent to 19.8 per cent.
Additional reasons for purchasing illegal cannabis included low quality, the desire to stay anonymous, delivery speed and loyalty to a dealer.
LPs are overproducing poor quality products that they sell below cost.
Are they doomed?
