3-in-10 may smoke pot
Usage highest among the youngest
TORONTO MARCH 29th, 2014 – In a series of random
samplings of public opinion taken by the Forum PollTM among 3663
Canadians 18 years of age and older, 3-in-10 said either that they had consumed
marijuana in the past year (13%) or declined to provide an answer (17%), for a
total of 3-in-10 (30%) who may be presumed to be active pot smokers. Incidence
of claimed use is highest among the youngest (27%), males (16%), lower income
groups (less than $20K - 19%), among Green Party voters (32%) and those with no
religion (19%).
About one fifth of users consume marijuana daily
Just
less than one fifth of marijuana users say they use it daily or more often (18%
of claimed users). The largest single group of users say they consume marijuana
on special occasions only (27%), followed by those who use it "a couple of
times a year" (16%). On average, those who consume marijuana do so just
less than twice a week, although more frequently among the youngest males.
Majority use marijuana recreationally
More
than half of claimed users say they consume marijuana for recreational purposes
(55%), while one tenth claim medical use only (11%). One quarter say it is used
for both purposes (25%).
Three quarters smoke in a pipe or cigarette
Three
quarters of users (75%) smoke marijuana in either a cigarette (43%) or a pipe
(23%), while fewer use it as a tincture or oil (8%), in food or drink (6%) or
with a vaporizer (5%).
“If we
assume those who chose not to answer have something to hide, than we can assume
close to a third of Canadians are smoking marijuana, which is about a third
more than are smoking tobacco these days," said Forum Research President, Dr.
Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is
the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.
