Canada, with a population of nearly 40 million, is home to thousands of recreational cannabis retail stores spread across 10 provinces and three territories.
As of January 2024, there were more than 3,600 legal recreational cannabis storefronts in Canada, or slightly less than one store per 10,000 residents at the national level.
Some provinces, like the most populated province of Ontario as well as the second-largest cannabis market of Alberta, allow marijuana retail sales by private-sector stores – usually with the provincial government holding a monopoly on wholesale cannabis sales.
Others, such as Nova Scotia and Quebec, allow cannabis retail sales only through provincial government-owned stores.
British Columbia has both private-sector and government-operated stores.
This map was created using retail store and licensing data from cannabis authorities in all 13 of Canada’s provinces and territories.
Number of Canadian cannabis stores by province or territory
Updated January 2024
Most of Canada's population is clustered close to the country's long border with the United States. Naturally, the country's distribution of adult-use cannabis follows that population pattern.
Unsurprisingly, Canada's biggest cities also are home to large numbers of cannabis stores.
Toronto, in Ontario, was home to 212 legal marijuana stores as of January 20234, followed by Calgary, Alberta, with roughly 202 stores and Edmonton, Alberta, with about 195.
Retailers' eagerness to enter the regulated adult-use market that launched in October 2018, along with open licensing policies in provinces permitting private-sector marijuana stores, have led to a glut of retail outlets areas in some Canadian cities, including Toronto and Calgary.
In contrast, Canadian provinces with government monopolies on adult-use cannabis stores tend to have relatively few retail outlets, even in major cities.