Local products, more stores help increase cannabis sales in Nova Scotia

| Staff

Nova Scotia saw a 10% increase in cannabis sales in the first quarter of this year, bringing in $27.3 million in sales from April 1 to July 3, compared to $24.7 million in the same reporting period last year. 

The first quarter financial performance report, released by the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) this week, says sales are being buoyed by strong support for locally grown cannabis products and the addition of new cannabis stores in the province. 

The province has recently added five new stores in Guysborough, Meteghan, New Germany, Springhill, and Spryfield, for a total of 43. There were 24 stores in Nova Scotia in March of last year.

“Local cannabis remains extremely popular as we continued to add more local products to our shelves,” notes the report. “We carried products from five more local producers than we did during the same period last year for a total of 16 local suppliers, with local cannabis now accounting for 28.4% of all cannabis sales – our highest to date.” 

A representative for the NSLC told StratCann via email that the three top selling pre-rolls are Ritual Sticks Lemon Haze 3 X .5 gram (produced in Windsor), Skosha Storm 3 X .5 gram (produced in Wentworth Valley), and Jazz Cabbage Gelato Biscotti (produced in Mount Uniacke).

They also confirmed that eight of their top ten 3.5 gram dried flower products are Ritual Lemon Haze and Ritual Black Mamba (Windsor), Truro True OG, Truro Wedding Mint and Truro Mac & Cheese by Truro Cannabis Company (Truro), Eastcann Biscotti Sundae and Eastcann Black Dolato (Dartmouth), and Msiku Star Struck produced by Atlanticann (Lower Sackville).

The province says they also saw a nearly 60% increase in local cannabis product listings, with the top three selling pre-rolls all being produced in Nova Scotia, along with eight of their top ten dried flower products.

The average price of a gram of cannabis also decreased in Nova Scotia over the reporting period by just over 5% to $6.15. This report attributes this to price reductions and to customers purchasing 28-gram SKUs and large-pack pre-rolls, which both carry a lower price per gram. 

Retail customer transactions for cannabis were also up 17.4% while the average dollar value of each transaction decreased by 5.9% to $38.41.