Article content

Pot smokers in Canada paid $640 million in provincial taxes in the first year of cannabis legalization.

And the money collected for provincial coffers is trending upwards.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Pot taxes add $640 million to provincial coffers in first year of legalization Back to video

Based on figures provided by Statistics Canada, Blacklock’s Reporter reports nearly two-thirds of a billion bucks went to provinces — $144 million in taxes was collected in the first quarter after legalization in mid-October 2018, followed by $160 million, $144 million and $192 million for the next three quarters.

But the total pales in comparison to the more than $19 billion collected through the sales of tobacco during the same time period.

Federal taxes are capped at $100 million annually for two years, Blacklock’s report said.

The infusion of cash comes through sales of weed in more than 400 licensed stores across the country, according to a StatsCan report titled The Retail Cannabis Market In Canada: A Portrait Of The First Year.