Canada could soon surpass CaliforniaCanada

Cannabis sales in Canada are slowly creeping up on cannabis sales in the US’ largest cannabis market. 

California, which ranks first overall for US cannabis sales with over $6.2 billion in annual retail sales, sold CAD$522.8 million worth of cannabis in June 2026, while Canada sold CAD$517.8 million. This is the closest Canada has come to surpassing the US as the largest cannabis market, potentially on track to surpass its sales by the end of 2026. 

While a new article from the news outlet SFGATE says Canada surpassed California’s cannabis sales in June 2026, these figures use August 2026 conversion rates to reach this conclusion, with Canada eking out a small lead over the US’s largest state economy. The author’s choice of a slightly more favourable, more recent exchange rate allowed them to declare that California had officially lost its top spot for that specific month.

However, if you use the actual historical average exchange rate from June 2026 (US$1.404 to CAD$1), California’s sales were CAD$522.9 million, compared to CAD$517.8 million, beating Canada’s sales by about CAD$5 million.  Canada’s population is approximately 41.4 million, and California’s population is roughly 39.3 million as of mid-2026, providing a useful comparison between markets.

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