Cannabis sales in BC are up while wholesale prices have gone down according to the latest BC Cannabis Wholesale Quarterly Sales Report.
Report Overview
BC Liquor Distribution Branch released its wholesale cannabis sales report for Q1 2023 (April to June). The province sold 30,665,160 grams of wholesale cannabis in Q1, up 32.6% from Q1 2022. Wholesale sales were up 15.9% from the prior year to $127,052,701.
The prices of all cannabis and dried flower dropped from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023. The price of all cannabis was $4.14 per gram, down 12.6% from the prior year. The price of dried flower was $3.40 per gram, down 11.8% from the prior year.
The number of stores in BC has increased 10.2% over the past year, with 487 stores in Q1 2023. This includes private and public retail stores. Stores must have sales to be considered in the count.
Dried Flower Trends
Sales of smaller SKU dried flower, such as 1 gram and 3.5 grams, declined overall, while larger formats, such as 7 grams, 14 grams, 28 grams, and 30 grams, increased.
| Sell Unit Consumer Item Size Format | Sales $ Current Quarter | Sales $ Last Year’s Quarter |
Sales $ YOY Variance |
Grams Current Quarter | Grams Last Year’s Quarter |
Grams YOY Variance % |
| 1 | 419,138 | 585,619 | -28.4% | 76,802 | 99,497 | -22.8% |
| 3.5 | 12,166,414 | 16,681,679 | -27.1% | 2,156,252 | 2,674,172 | -19.4% |
| 7 | 4,049,619 | 3,841,257 | 5.4% | 999,551 | 851,893 | 17.3% |
| 14/15 | 5,049,443 | 4,036,751 | 25.1% | 1,428,230 | 1,101,163 | 29.7% |
| 28 | 19,925,029 | 18,576,161 | 7.3% | 7,533,736 | 6,606,908 | 14.0% |
| 30 | 177,959 | 7,015 | 2,437.0% | 91,890 | 8,970 | 924.4% |
Source: BC Liquor Distribution Branch
Product Trends
Inhalable extracts topped the quarterly sales, up 56.5% from last year to $42,054.402. Flower sales were not far behind, down 4.4% to $41,787,601.
Sales of cannabis extracts and beverages saw the biggest year-over-year increase, up 56.5% and 20.6% respectively. Topicals, seeds, and flower all saw declines in sales.
Carbonated drinks dominated the beverages category with 84.7% of sales, while chews accounted for the majority of edible sales at 90.4%. The other product categories saw greater variety in sales mix.
Several product sub-categories saw notable year-over-year growth in Q1 2023.
Sales of baked goods were up 53.5%, other ingestible extracts up 130.7%, disposable pens up 153.8%, other inhalables up 188.0%, vape kits up 300.9%, variety pack pre-rolls up 181.4%, and massage oils and lubricants up 100%. On the flip side, sales of other beverages, hard candy, and other edibles were all down 100% year-over-year.
Direct Delivery
The LDB launched its Direct Delivery Program in August 2022, reaching $3,665,299 and 779,775 grams in cannabis sales in Q1 2023.
The prices of all cannabis and flower were higher than the regular wholesale cannabis prices at $4.70 and $4.02 per gram respectively. Flower accounted for the majority of sales in Q1 with 51,554 units and $2,308,836 of cannabis sold.
| Subcategory | Sales $ Current Quarter |
Sell Units Current Quarter |
| Edibles and Beverages | 19,265 | 5,209 |
| Flower | 2,305,836 | 51,554 |
| Ingestible Extracts | 12,774 | 757 |
| Inhalable Extracts | 477,604 | 17,768 |
| Plants | 58,597 | 2,342 |
| Pre-roll | 784,104 | 61,977 |
| Seeds | 1,554 | 54 |
| Topicals | 5,566 | 249 |
Source: BC Liquor Distribution Branch