It might be called the black and blue market by the time Alberta is done with it.

The Canadian province’s online retailer, AlbertaCannabis.org, is stepping up efforts to combat illicit cannabis by slashing product prices in the lead up to the arrival of edibles in the new year.

“Prices on all products have been reduced to better provide affordable, safe cannabis,” Alberta Cannabis told CTV News Edmonton. “And we’ve reduced our shipping fees by half — pay only $4.95 to have your order shipped right to your door.”

The big day that we've all been waiting for is nearly here in Canada. Following the commencement of recreational cannabis sales on Oct. 17, 2018, and the implementation of regulations regarding marijuana derivatives exactly one year later (Oct. 17, 2019), we're now just days away from these alternative consumption options officially hitting dispensary shelves.

Yukoners led Canadians in buying the most legal pot per capita from retail stores in the first year of legalization, according to a study released by Statistics Canada.

The report on retail pot sales in Canada — online or in person — shows that between October 2018 and September 2019, Yukoners spent an average of $103 per person, generating $4.2 million in total sales. 

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia followed Yukon in per capita sales at $97 and $68 respectively, while Ontario led overall sales at $217 million.

Per capita sales in the Northwest Territories were $61 and overall sales were $2.7 million. The study did not include statistics for Nunavut, because it does not have a physical retail store.

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The provincial government says that it is scrapping the lottery system for cannabis shop permits and will begin issuing dozens of new retail permits in the spring as part of efforts to open up the weed market.

In its recent fiscal update, the province said that it would move to do away with the lottery system, which has faced criticism.

On Thursday, the province unveiled a timeline for issuing new retail cannabis permits, saying that applications for prospective owners will open on Jan. 6, with the first new licenses to be distributed in April.

Speaking with CP24 Thursday evening, Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said the government wanted to go to an open market model from the start, but needed time to manage the changes and ensure adequate supply.  

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.

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 B.C. government hopes weak cannabis sales will rebound as the province reaches a “critical mass” of public and private stores in the coming months, says the minister responsible.

Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said he’s not worried that the most recent second-quarter financial update shows cannabis revenue $18 million below the projected $38 million from the provincial share of the federal excise revenue.

“I expect to see a significant increase in revenue,” Farnworth said. “We’ve sold more cannabis at legal stores in this province in the first week of October than was sold in the entire month of June.”

Albertans purchased nearly $200 million worth of legal pot in the first 11 months of legalization, making it the biggest per capita consumer among larger provinces.

Statistics Canada figures released Wednesday show Albertans bought $196 million worth of cannabis from privately operated stores and a government-run website from October 2018 to September 2019.

That represents 22 per cent of national sales of $908 million in a province that makes up just 12 per cent of Canada’s population.

The only province with bigger dollar sales was Ontario with $217 million, but that came from a population more than three times that of Alberta.

Marijuana stocks have taken investors for a wild ride in 2019. When the first quarter came to a close, more than a dozen of the most popular pot stocks had gained at least 70%, and the expectation was that numerous cannabis stocks would be pushing toward profitability by year's end.

Nearly $1-billion worth of legal cannabis was sold in Canada during the first year of legalization, short of analysts’ initial projections, according to a study published Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

StatsCan said that $907.8 million of legal cannabis was sold between the last two weeks of October 2018 and September 2019 through both brick-and-mortar and online stores, with Ontario leading the country with $216.8 million in total sales. Alberta, which holds the highest number of physical cannabis retail outlets in any province, recorded $195.7 million in sales in the first year, StatsCan said.

The sales figures are well below some of the forecasts that analysts put out ahead of the launch of legalization in Oct. 2018.