Leafly: As '420' Nears, Canada's Cannabis Culture Shifts

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 17, 2014) - As Canada prepares to celebrate '420' 2014 - April, 20, 2014 - new legislative changes are ushering in a major shift in Canadian cannabis culture, according to Leafly: the world's largest medical cannabis information community.

Often referred to as the Yelp of Cannabis, Leafly is a global mobile and web based medicinal cannabis community available in French, English and Spanish. At Leafly, people can review strains, MMAR medical cannabis dispensaries, and physicians can help patients find the right solution for their condition and unique, individual symptoms.

Leafly Canadian Visits Jump +300% Since April 1, 2014

According to Cy Scott, Founder and Product Manager of Leafly, more than 221,000 Canadians have visited Leafly.com since new medicinal cannabis laws took effect on April 1, 2014. Cy says that represents a monthly visitor increase of more than 300% compared to March 2014.

Leafly's top five most commonly searched medical conditions by Canadian visitors are Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, ADD/ADHD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Multiple Sclerosis. In Eastern Canada, ADD/ADHD is the number one most searched condition, Anxiety is the number one most searched condition in Western Canada and Bipolar Disorder is the most searched medical condition by Quebec Leafly visitors.

That contrasts slightly to how Americans are searching Leafly.com. In the USA, the top medical conditions searched on Leafly include: Anxiety, ADD/ADHD, PTSD, Bipolar Disorder and Migraine.

The United States generates the most Leafly visitors worldwide; followed by Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

Canada's Top Rated Medical Cannabis Strain is Purple Kush

In the USA, Blue Dream, Girl Scout Cookie and Sour Diesel are the most popular and best ranked medical cannabis strains; while the top ranked medical cannabis strains for Canadian Leafly visitors are Purple Kush, OG Kush, Green Crack, Sour Diesel and Bubba Kush. [See Leafly Top 10 Canadian Medicinal Canabis Strains Fact Sheet for full listing and details.]

"When you look at Leafly reviews from Eastern and Western Canada, and Quebec, Canadians' unanimously top-rated strain is Purple Kush. Purple Kush is a pure Indica strain of medical cannabis that induces a powerful relaxing effect and has a berry-like aroma," says Cy, adding that Canadian Leafly visitors rank Purple Kush favourably for relieving pain and anxiety.

Canada's second pick on Leafly, OG Kush, is a West Coast Sativa strain of medical cannabis that is energizing and features an earthy, pine scent. According to Leafly visitors, OG Kush is effective in helping alleviate anxiety and conditions like ADD/ADHD and PTSD.

Cy reports the fastest growing medical cannabis strain search term among Leafly Canadian visitors since April 1, 2014 is Chemo, a strain that is often used to relieve nausea and fatigue associated with chemotherapy treatment.

When it comes to addressing medical symptoms, Cy shares that Canadian Leafly visitors most frequently seek information relating to: depression, stress and pain. On the flavour side, Cy says that Canadians who visit Leafly are most likely to search for sweet, citrus and mango.

Leafly Data Sheds Light on Canada's Medical Cannabis Industry for First Time

"Although cannabis has been used to treat medical conditions for more than 5,000 years, Leafly represents one of the first opportunities to understand how people in Canada and around the world are engaging with medical cannabis strains to treat chronic conditions," explains Cy. "Leafly believes that meaningful data has the power to transform the medical cannabis industry to better meet the needs of patients - and to empower patients and physicians with important information."

About Leafly

Leafly is a global mobile and web-based medicinal cannabis community. Available in French, English and Spanish, Leafly offers reviews for 650 different types of cannabis and thousands of dispensaries. The Leafly app, available on iOS and Android, was recently nominated by Geekwire.com as one of its top Apps of the Year. The Leafly app lets visitors filter by effects, medical uses and flavor. Leafly was founded in 2010 and is a subsidiary of Privateer Holdings Inc., a Seattle-based company that invests in the legal cannabis industry.

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