Ontario accounted for over one-quarter of Canada's total legal cannabis sales in May, according to Statistics Canada.
Sales totals for the month of May were released by StatsCan, and they showed that the nation's most populous province, had over $22.8-million in legal cannabis sales in May. This accounts for 26.6 per cent of total nationwide sales, which came to $85.6 million for the month.
Cannabis sales for May in Ontario increased by 15.9 per cent from the month of April, when the opening of brick-and-mortar cannabis retailers began in the province.
British Columbia accounted for the biggest percentage increase in May, at 37 per cent. The trade publication The Growth Op cites the increasing popularity of weed on the west coast, citing the United Nations' World Drug Report, which showed 15 per cent of those in B.C. over the age of 15 consumed pot in one form or another.
Also showing big gains were Quebec at 26 per cent, which according to The Growth Op, is attributable to the opening of cannabis stores seven days a week. Saskatchewan was up by 13 per cent, Prince Edward Island at 11.8 per cent and Alberta at 10.2 per cent.
The StatsCan report also showed that Ontario had the biggest climb in sales since March, which jumped threefold and outpaced the national rate for that time period. The opening of physical stores in Ontario during that period helped contribute to the increase.