Features

Cannabis bigger than forestry in Canada: study

Published on September 19, 2025 by Pat Bulmer

Photo: Adobe Stock/the oz.

Cannabis contributes more to Canada’s gross domestic product than forestry and logging, breweries, and wineries and distilleries, a new report says.

The report shows that Canada’s legal cannabis industry contributed more than $16 billion to the national GDP in 2024, generating nearly $29 billion in total economic output.

The report, High Impact, Green Growth: The Economic Footprint of Canada’s Cannabis Industry, was commissioned by Organigram Global in partnership with the Business Data Lab of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The cannabis sector supported over 227,000 jobs across the country, including 168,000 direct jobs in cultivation and retail, and 59,000 in supply, logistics and professional services.

Organigram says the findings show why cannabis should be a pillar in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to boost the Canadian economy.

“The legal cannabis sector is a high-value industry that is already delivering what the Prime Minister’s One Canadian Economy vision calls for: a nationally integrated, high-value industry that’s built in Canada, employing Canadians, and competing globally,” said Beena Goldenberg, CEO of Organigram Global.

“This is precisely the type of industry that fits within the One Canadian Economy vision, said report author Andrew DiCapua, principal economist with the Business Data Lab.

Legal cannabis is now the most valuable crop in Organigram’s home province of New Brunswick, the report says, with farm cash receipts hitting $269.4 million in 2022, more than potatoes and dairy.

Nationally, cannabis generated $2.7 billion in farm cash receipts in 2024, outpacing greenhouse vegetables ($2.63 billion) and field vegetables ($2.44 billion).

“Yet, despite its outsized impact on Canada’s economy last year, and the significant export potential of Canada’s global first-mover advantage, outdated policy frameworks are preventing the sector from realizing its full potential,” a news release said.

“The current excise tax structure is designed around outdated pricing models, which limits innovation and growth. Moreover, the absence of a national export strategy is preventing Canada from capitalizing on an international cannabis market projected to surpass CAD $140 billion by 2026,” the release said.

“If Canada is serious about building the strongest economy in the G7, then industries like cannabis … must be a pillar of the One Canadian Economy strategy. It’s time to modernize the rules, eliminate unnecessary barriers and unfair taxation, and give this industry the same opportunity to thrive as other strategic sectors.”

Half of the cannabis economic impact happens in Ontario, where the industry contributes $8.3 billion to GDP and creates 89,000 jobs.

Next on the list are B.C. ($2.9B GDP,, 46,000 jobs); Quebec ($2B GDP, 41,600 jobs); New Brunswick ($1B, 9,000 jobs) and Alberta ($885M, 19,000 jobs).

The report said cannabis production and retail contributed $8.4 billion to the GDP and 168,000 jobs. The supply chain added $4.4 billion and 30,000 jobs while “induced impact, defined as ‘consumer spending from workers’ wages,” added $3.2 billion to GDP and 29,000 jobs.

Organigram, now headquartered in Toronto, has its flagship facility in Moncton and locations in Quebec, Ontario and Winnipeg. Its brands include Edison, Big Bag O’ Buds, Shred, Collective Project, Trailblazer and Boxhot.