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Canadians spent $1.2 billion on non-medical cannabis in the first full calendar year since legalization, a number that fell well short of expectations but that appears set to grow significantly in 2020.

A disproportionate amount of sales took place in the latter half of 2019, as supply chain hiccups were smoothed out and the number of retail stores increased across the country.

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Statistics Canada data showed cannabis sales in December climbed 8.1 per cent from a month earlier to $146 million, the third straight month in a row sales have increased.

The biggest gains came from Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

Ontarians bought $33.7-million worth of legal weed, up 6.6 per cent from the month before, while Quebeckers purchased $33.5-million of cannabis, an increase of 12 per cent from November.