It’s been nearly five years since Canada legalized cannabis, and people’s consumption habits are changing. When most people may have reached for an alcoholic beverage in the summer months, many have now turned their attention to cannabis-infused drinks instead.
The legalization of cannabis reduced the stigma around usage, and opened up a variety of ways for people to consume products. These days, there’s less focus on traditional means of using cannabis, like smoking and vaping. Instead, people are purchasing edibles and cannabis beverages.
Late last year, Health Canada amended the Cannabis Act to increase possession limits for cannabis beverages. This was an important change for retailers and consumers, as it allowed us to stock larger quantities of cannabis beverages and sell more cans to customers at one time. Before the amendment came into effect, adults could only possess five 355-ml cans at one time. Since the rule changed last year, they can now purchase 48 355-ml cans.
As summer and fall vacations, camping trips, and long weekend getaways continue, we’re seeing more people coming to Tonik Cannabis to purchase cannabis beverages. Many of our customers have replaced a pre-vacation trip to a liquor store with a stop at our location to pick up some beverages for their events. This summer, we have seen a shift in consumers’ purchasing habits, with more customers stopping by before long weekends to pick up their cannabis-infused beverages. Specifically, over this summer’s long weekends we saw a 270% increase in beverage sales compared to last year.
We’d like to remind everyone, no matter what type of beverage they’re consuming, to drink responsibly and keep themselves and their communities safe.
Tonik Cannabis is a family-run cannabis store in Brantford, Ontario that is committed to providing customers with the education and products they need to ensure they have a positive cannabis experience focused around wellness and wellbeing.