BDSA estimates that total legal cannabis spending in Canada reached more than $2.6 billion in 2020, based on BDSA’s Canadian retail sales tracking and available government data through February. That is slightly higher than BDSA’s previous forecast of $2.5 billion—which was intentionally conservative in anticipation of impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. As in the United States, however, Canada’s legal cannabis industry saw only limited, short-term negative effect from the pandemic in 2020.

A high-level understanding of cannabis markets is key for any business looking to succeed in the industry. But as legal markets mature, those in the highly competitive cannabis retail space need a more detailed view of consumer behavior and purchasing trends to stay ahead of the curve. BDSA offers a variety of tools to help retailers and brands make informed business decisions.

Retail Sales Tracking provides a granular view of sales trends, category mix and brand/product performance in 10 U.S. cannabis markets. Consumer Insights gives a detailed look at consumer demographics, preferences and behaviors. Now, BDSA’s new Basket Analytics product gives a comprehensive view of per-transaction purchasing dynamics.

The Year Ahead – The Cannabis Industry in 2021. 

Once the fastest-growing product category in cannabis, vapes were the focus of the industry’s first public health crisis with the appearance of E-cigarette and Vaping Product Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in late summer 2019. Despite seeing ups and down in the first half of 2020, in part due to the impact of COVID-19, vape sales are on the rise again, and are likely to surpass summer 2019’s  peak in sales by the end of 2020.

When Colorado first launched adult-use (recreational) sales in 2014, the existing medical market opened up to a wave of new consumers, including those from the sizable illicit market as well as new consumers who previously had little or no experience with cannabis.

The popularity of CBD products has exploded in the U.S. in recent years, with sales in the U.S. cannabis dispensary channel alone rising from $8.4 million in May 2016 to $56.9 million in May 2020. And hemp-derived CBD products, containing less than 0.3% THC, are increasingly available via general retail channels, though CBD ingestibles are still officially off limits for sale in general retail channels in the U.S. and most other jurisdictions.

The legal cannabis market has exploded in recent years, with sales in the U.S. reaching an estimated $12.4 billion in 2019, forecast to rise to $31 billion by 2024. The market for cannabidiol (CBD) has also grown rapidly, with U.S. sales totaling $2.6 billion in 2019, on track to reach $18 billion by 2024. While THC and CBD are the most widely known and marketed compounds found in Cannabis sativa, a few of the other 113 currently identified cannabinoids show potential for therapeutic and recreational applications and have attracted the attention of both researchers and those in the industry.

Global legal cannabis spending is forecast to reach $47 billion in 2025, a number too big to ignore for many companies and industries. The U.S. will continue to be the largest global market, driven by more and more adult use markets opening.

BOULDER, Colo. — May 5, 2020 —BDSA (formerly BDS Analytics), the leader in comprehensive, accurate and actionable cannabis market intelligence and consumer research, announced today that Illinois retail cannabis sales exceeded $188 million in the first quarter of 2020, reflecting adult-use sales of $109.96 million and medical sales of $78.2 million. This year’s sales are projected to exceed $693 million, an increase of 176%, based on top-line sales projections modeled from point-of-sale transaction records.

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