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Ø The size of the cannabis market is
estimated at 800 tonnes a year.
Ø The size of the national
production has significantly increased, and it is estimated that 50% of
cannabis available is now produced in the country.
Ø The main producer provinces are
British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.
Ø Estimates of the monetary value of
the cannabis market are unreliable. For example, if 400 tons are grown yearly
in Canada, at a street value of $225 per ounce, the total value of the
Canadian production would be less than $6 billion per year, less than the
often quoted value of the BC market alone.
Ø An unknown proportion of national
production is exported to the United States.
Ø A portion of production is
controlled by organized crime elements.
Ø THC is the main active ingredient
of cannabis; in its natural state, cannabis contains between 0.5% and 3% THC.
Ø Sophisticated growing methods and
genetic progress have made it possible to increase THC content in recent
years, but it is impossible to estimate the average content of cannabis
available in the market; it is reasonable to consider that content varies
between 6% and 31%.
Ø THC is fat soluble and readily
spreads in the innervated tissues of the brain; it reaches a peak in the
blood plasma in less than nine minutes and falls to approximately 5%
after one hour.
Ø The body is slow to eliminate THC
and inactive THC metabolites can be detected in urine up to 27 days
after use in the case of regular users.
Ø Psychoactive effects generally
last two to three hours and as many as five to seven hours after use.
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