On offer to Ontario consumers three years after legalization: A profile of cannabis products, cannabinoid content, plant type, and prices

Abstract

IntroductionCannabis was legalized in Canada in October 2018, regulating the production, distribution, sale, and possession of dried cannabis and cannabis oils. Additional products were legalized 1 year later, including edibles, concentrates, and topicals, with new lines of commercial products coming to market. Ontario is the most populous province in Canada and has the largest cannabis market with the highest number of in-person retail stores and the most cannabis products available online. This study aims to create a profile of products available to consumers three years after legalization by summarizing types of products, THC and CBD potency, plant type, and prices of product sub-categories.MethodsWe extracted data from the website of the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS)—the public agency overseeing the only online store and sole wholesaler to all authorized in-person stores—in the first quarter of 2022 (January 19–March 23). We used descriptive analyses to summarize the data. A total of 1,771 available products were mapped by route of administration into inhalation (smoking, vaping, and concentrates), ingestible (edibles, beverages, oils, and capsules) and topical.ResultsMost inhalation products included ≥20%/g THC (dried flower: 94%; cartridges: 96%; resin: 100%) while ingestible products had similar proportions of THC and CBD content. Indica-dominant products tend to be more prominent in inhalation products while sativa-dominant products tend to be more prominent in ingestible products. The average sale price of cannabis was 9.30 $/g for dried flower, 5.79 $/0.1g for cartridges, 54.82 $/g for resin, 3.21 $/unit for soft chews, 1.37 $/ml for drops, 1.52 $/unit for capsules, and 39.94 $/product for topicals.DiscussionIn summary, a wide variety of cannabis products were available to Ontarians for different routes of administration and provides numerous indica-dominant, sativa-dominant, and hybrid/blend options. The current market for inhalation products however is geared towards the commercialization of high-THC products.

Cannabis and Driving in Older Adults

“…This is important because it is known that legally available cannabis is more potent than the cannabis that has typically been studied in the laboratory. 36 An ecological approach may yield more valid results into the outcomes of cannabis in everyday situations. In the present study, participants drove the simulator before smoking in a dedicated smoking room and then again at 30 and 180 minutes afterwards; blood was collected for measurement of THC and metabolites as well as cannabidiol (CBD) at the time of the drives.…”

“…The present study used an ecologically valid approach in which participants were invited to smoke their usual cannabis in the laboratory. This is important because it is known that legally available cannabis is more potent than the cannabis that has typically been studied in the laboratory . An ecological approach may yield more valid results into the outcomes of cannabis in everyday situations.…”

Interactive effects of alcohol and cannabis quantities in the prediction of same‐day negative consequences among young adults

“…However, we did aim to provide a preliminary analysis of the interactions between quantities of alcohol and quantities of other forms of cannabis used (i.e., hits of concentrates, servings of edibles/beverage) in predicting negative consequences on simultaneous use days. Cannabis concentrates such as resins and shatter contain much higher concentrations of THC than cannabis flower (Tassone et al., 2023), and cannabis products vary in their typical route of administration (Goodman et al., 2020), which has implications for rate of THC absorption (see Huestis, 2007). Thus, the nature of interactions between cannabis and alcohol may depend on the forms of cannabis used to the extent that some forms of cannabis could lead to greater and more rapid intoxication during simultaneous use events.…”