Canadians spending nearly as much on marijuana as wine, shows report

Justin Trudeau has committed to legalising recreational use of cannabis by July 2018

Report also found pot use has increased over the years as it became more popular with adults (Donald Weber/Getty Images)

Canadians spent $6.2bn (£3.5bn) on marijuana in 2015, almost as much as they did on wine, a report has shown.

A study of marijuana consumption between 1960 and 2015 carried out by Canada's bureau of statistics estimated there were 4.9 million cannabis consumers aged 15 and older in 2015.

The agency is preparing to track weed's effect on economy and society when it is made legal next year.

The report found use of pot has increased over the years as it became more popular with adults.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the market was predominantly driven by young people.

However, by 2015, 6 per cent of 15-17-year-olds consumed cannabis, while two-thirds of users were over 25.

Canadians consumed around 697.5 tonnes of the drug in 2015, the report said, putting the estimated value of consumption between $5.0bn (£2.9bn) and $6.2bn (£3.5bn).

The researchers arrived at those figures after estimating the drugs market value to be between $7.14 (£4.14) to $8.84 (£5.13) per gram.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, has committed to legalising the recreational use of cannabis by July 2018.