Canada: Nearly One-in-Ten Cannabis Consumers Engage in Home Cultivation

TORONTO– According to statistics from the journal Addictive Behavior Reports, 10% of Canadian cannabis consumers say they grow their own cannabis at home.

Prior to and after adult-use marijuana was legalized in 2018, Canadian researchers studied home cultivation practices. Adults in most parts of the nation are allowed by law to cultivate up to four cannabis plants for their own personal use. (The Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Quebec forbid home cultivation.)

According to research, the proportion of cannabis consumers who grow their own cannabis went from 6% before legalization to 9% in 2020. Home cultivation was more prevalent among people who lived in more rural locations. The majority of people who practiced home cultivation did not go over the permitted plant limitations.

Following the legalization of non-medical cannabis, the authors noted that “almost one in ten Canadian cannabis consumers reported home production of cannabis in 2020, with minor increases.” The only two jurisdictions that forbid non-medical home cultivation are Manitoba and Quebec, which have among the lowest rates of home cultivation. “The uptake of home cultivation is connected with province and cultivation legislation. Although the present study found that home cultivation increased among users in the year that followed legalization, it will be crucial to monitor if rates rise even as access to and the cost of legal cannabis decline.

According to data from the United States, less than 2% of cannabis consumers admit to growing their own cannabis, while the real number of home growers has probably climbed in recent years as more jurisdictions have legalized marijuana.

NORML has long argued that people in legal states should be able to grow small amounts of cannabis at home for personal use. In their words: “The inclusion of legislative provisions protecting the non-commercial home cultivation of cannabis serves as leverage to ensure that the product available at retail outlets is of high quality, safety, and affordability. Additionally, allowing home growth gives adult users a quick source of cannabis and eliminates the need for the black market. It usually takes state authorities several months, or even years, after the law’s implementation to establish licensed retail operators, therefore such a source is required.

Addictive Behavior Reports has the complete text of the study titled “Home cultivation across Canadian provinces after cannabis legalization.”