Canada’s black market has been good for the price of legal green in Yellowknife.

The Consumer Price Index for recreational marijuana dropped a whopping 10 per cent from August 2019 to August 2020, according to My Yellowknife Now. The CPI is a statistical estimate that measures the difference in the cost of a product against a set average price.

Canada’s national CPI for the recreational drug also dropped 9.6 per cent over the same period, while most alcoholic and tobacco products increased slightly, according to Taylor Mitchell, a Statistics Canada analyst. “Prices for recreational cannabis from legal sources are continued to be undercut by lower prices in the illicit market,” he said. “This competition from the illicit market is contributing to lower prices in the legal market.”

The issue may have been compounded by an oversupply of product that has built up since the drug was legalized spilling over into the medicinal market, he said.

Caroline Wawzonek, Minister of Finance for the Government of the Northwest Territories, said they are doing their best to stamp out the illicit supply as the price drop went into effect in July. “We will continue to assess the operations of the Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NTLCC) to find more ways to curb the illegal sale of cannabis in the Northwest Territories in a socially responsible manner.”

Recreational marijuana in the Northwest Territories can only be purchased from one of five liquor stores located throughout the region.

Here is an interactive map of every licensed cannabis retailer in Northwest Territories, based on data from the website of Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Cannabis can also be purchased online.