Canada’s black market drug dealers are now the world’s fourth largest exporters of cannabis, according to Public Safety Canada.

Citing a Public Safety Canada report — Patterns In Cannabis Cryptomarkets In Canada In 2018 — a Blacklock’s Reporter article says 2.5 tons of cannabis is now sold and shipped annually from Canada.

Dealers using cryptomarkets or black market websites for illegal sales now rank fourth behind their counterparts in the U.S., U.K. and Germany, says the Public Safety Canada report.

“Prior to legalization Canada ranked eighth for cannabis revenues,” added the report.

After Parliament legalized pot in 2018, Public Safety Canada says “sophisticated criminal entrepreneurs” used the law to wildly increase black market Internet sales.

The research estimates following recreational weed legalization on Oct. 17, 2018, drug dealers’ Internet revenues increased from $432,000 a year to $4.2 million annually.

“The Internet has become a distribution channel for the illicit sale of drugs,” said the report.

“Cannabis is the most trafficked drug by Canadian dealers, followed by ecstasy and psychedelic drugs, and a majority of Canadian vendors are willing to ship anywhere in the world.”