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An industry makes its mark

The economic and social impact of Canada’s cannabis sector

It’s been three years since the Canadian federal government legalized recreational cannabis for adult use. They aimed to protect the health and safety of Canadian cannabis consumers, curb the illicit cannabis trade, and hopefully launch a new source of economic growth for the country. But has the sector delivered the economic prosperity that governments and other observers anticipated? And what impact has the cannabis industry had on the social fabric of Canada?

Our latest cannabis report—An industry makes its mark—answers these questions. With the help of the Ontario Cannabis Store, we gathered data to estimate the direct, indirect, and induced economic contribution of the cannabis sector. Based on our findings, it seems clear that the cannabis industry has been a great success. This potential will only increase as the industry continues to grow.

Our analysis also shows that there are still opportunities for the Canadian cannabis sector to make a greater social contribution and address its considerable environmental footprint. Deloitte believes the cannabis industry can address these issues—delivering a social impact that exceeds its economic contribution. 

Explore our analysis in more detail and discover the key next steps for the industry.

In the original report, employment contribution numbers were presented on a cumulative basis for consistency with other metrics such as labour income and GDP. Data is now presented on an average annualized basis.

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