Cannabis Growing in Canada

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This study analyzes demand for cannabis growing supplies in Canada by product, market, growing system type, and Canadian province/territory. Growing supplies demand is reported in value terms (US dollars) at the manufacturers’ level. Cannabis production volume (in dry pounds) and value (US dollars) at the growers’ level are also reported.

Cannabis Production

Production volumes and values in this report cover only the dry weight of usable cannabis plant and exclude the value of downstream processing.

Reported cannabis production numbers in this study refer to:

• all marijuana and hemp (i.e., cannabis containing 0.3% or less THC) produced by known and/or licensed (annual and temporary) commercial cultivators, whether or not that marijuana ends up on the black market (e.g., sold outside of regulated channels)
• marijuana grown legally by individuals at home

While a significant portion of marijuana produced by these growers is eventually sold through illicit channels, these volumes are included to avoid significant underreporting in the marijuana growing supplies market.

In addition, demand data presented for the personal-use residential cannabis growing market assume the bans on non-medical home-grow operations currently in place in Québec and Manitoba will hold through the forecast period:

• Although these provincial bans are not being strictly enforced, they are technically illicit operations for purposes of this study and thus excluded.
• However, because these bans counter federal provisions, they could be invalidated by the doctrine of federal paramountcy.
• If the bans are eventually overruled, personal-use residential demand for cannabis growing supplies will be higher in these markets and thus impact the national total.

Also excluded from this report are:

• marijuana and hemp grown by unknown and unrecorded operations
• marijuana grown illegally by individuals at home
• cannabis illegally distributed outside of regulated channels and sold on the black market

Cannabis Growing Supplies

Cannabis growing supplies demand is segmented by consumables and equipment. Consumables used for growing cannabis include:

• seeds and clones (i.e., cuttings)
• growing media (including soilless types)
• fertilizers and nutrient solutions
• other consumables (e.g., pesticides, fungicides, geotextiles, cleaning chemicals, gloves and aprons, and carbon filters)

Equipment covered in this study are:

• water tanks, irrigation equipment, and hydroponic systems (e.g., plastic water storage tanks and reservoirs; flood and drain tables; hoses, irrigation pipes, and drip irrigation systems; and hydroponic system components such as grow modules, reservoirs, pumps, plastic tubing, and other associated hardware)
• fans and HVAC equipment (e.g., industrial and commercial fans; consumer personal fans; cooling and drying systems; dehumidifiers; air cleaners and purifiers; and pumps, duct silencers, and other HVAC system parts and accessories)
• security equipment (e.g., cameras, motion detectors, video surveillance equipment, and access control systems)
• lighting systems and replacement bulbs (e.g., LED, CFL, and HID lamps and bulbs)
• pots and planters (e.g., standard plastic, ceramic, and metal pots with saucers for catching water runoff; growing trays, boxes, and baskets; fabric pots and grow bags; air pots; and hemp buckets)
• harvesting and trimming equipment (e.g., agricultural harvesting equipment such as tractors and combines; specialty cannabis harvesting equipment such as buckers and dry trimmers; and hand tools such as bud trimmers and trimming shears)
• cloning equipment (e.g., root cubes and trays; seedling humidity domes; clone buckets; cloning machines; and tissue culture cloning equipment)
• other equipment (e.g., garden bedders and tillers; greenhouses; grow tents; monitors and controllers; pH and nutrient testers; plastic sheeting and liners; growing tables, benches, and trellises; and protective glasses)

Markets for cannabis growing supplies include:

• commercial marijuana and hemp (including operations that are fully grown in a greenhouse)
• private-use residential marijuana (i.e., personal home-grow operations)

Growing system types include soil-based and hydroponic systems.