Half Approve of Legalized Cannabis
Almost half have no
confidence the government has thoroughly evaluated how to keep cannabis out of
the hands of minors
Toronto, October
15th – In a random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum
Poll™ among 1226 Canadian voters, half (52%) say they approve of legalized cannabis.
4 in 10 (41%) say they disapprove, while about 1 in 10 (7%) say they do not
know.
Respondents
most likely to say they approve of legalized cannabis include those aged 34 and
younger (74%), males (56%), the most wealthy (65%), living in Atlantic Canada
(65%) or BC (63%), with a post-graduate degree (58%).
Legalization
approval is higher amongst cannabis consumers, with 9 in 10 (90%) saying they
approve.
Respondents
most likely to say they disapprove include those 65+ (55%), females (43%),
earning $20-$40,000 (47%) or $40,000-$60,000 (44%), living in Québec (56%), with
some college/university (46%).
The levels of
approval and disapproval are more or less unchanged since June of 2016, where
half (54%) said they approve, 4 in 10 (38%) disapprove, and 1 in 10 (8%) said
they do not know.
Half support amnesty for cannabis offences
Half (54%)
say that the Federal government should protect those currently charged with cannabis-related
offences from prosecution if their offences would not be illegal after cannabis
is legalized. This finding is up four points since April of 2017 (April 26:
50%). Approval is higher amongst cannabis consumers, with almost three-quarters
(71%) saying they approve.
A third (33%)
say that the Federal government should not, a result unchanged since April 2017
(April 26: 33%)
One-sixth
(13%) say they do not know, down four points since April 2017 (April 26: 17%).
Half support edibles
Half (51%)
say they approve of the sale of cannabis or cannabis edibles like cookies,
bars, or drinks, unchanged since January 2018 (January 16: 52%). Approval is
higher amongst cannabis consumers, with almost 9 in 10 (86%) saying they
approve.
More than 4
in 10 (44%) say they disapprove, a significant increase since January 2018
(January 16: 37%)
1 in 20 (5%)
say they do not know, down six points since January (January 16: 11%).
Half suggest cannabis should be regulated like alcohol, not
tobacco
Half (54%)
say that cannabis should be regulated like alcohol, up four points since
September 2017 (September 28: 50%). Amongst cannabis consumers, support for
regulation like alcohol is actually below slightly below the average (50%).
A quarter
(28%) say cannabis should be regulated like tobacco, down four points since
September 2017 (September 28: 32%). Support for regulation like tobacco is
actually above the average amongst cannabis consumers (33%).
One-fifth
(18%) say they do not know, which is unchanged from September 2017. (September
28: %)
Three-quarters not likely to invest in the cannabis industry
Three-quarters
(BTM2: 73%) say they are not likely to invest in the cannabis industry, with
more than half (57%) saying they are not at all likely to invest. Just over 4
in 10 (44%) cannabis consumers say they are not likely to invest in the
industry.
One-fifth
(TOP2: 19%) say they are likely to invest, but only 1 in 20 (5%) say they are
very likely to invest. 4 in 10 (TOP2: 41%) cannabis consumers are likely to
invest in the industry.
About 1 in 20
(4%) say they already invest, while a similar proportion (4%) say they do not
know.
Half (50%)
said that their opinion on investing in cannabis would change if it prevented
them from entering the United States in the future, with 9 in 10 (93%) saying
that they would be less likely to invest.
Only about 1
in 10 (7%) said they would be more likely to invest.
Only a third feel positive about cannabis
Only a third
(TOP2: 34%) feel positive about cannabis, with 4 in 10 (BTM2: 43%) saying they
feel negative about it.
One-quarter
(23%) say they have no opinion either way.
Only 1 in 10
(10%) say their opinion of cannabis will change once it becomes legalized in
Canada, but three-quarters of those (73%) say their opinion will become more
positive.
A quarter (27%)
say their opinion will become more negative.
About half say they’ve tried cannabis
About half
(47%) say that they have used cannabis, while the other half (53%) say they
have not.
Amongst those
that said they have used cannabis, about half (46%) said they’ve used it in the
past year.
Amongst those
that said they have not tried cannabis, 1 in 10 (11%) says that legalization
will make them more likely to try it.
Amongst cannabis consumers, almost half say $8 a gram is a
reasonable price for legal cannabis
We asked cannabis
consumers what a reasonable price would be for one gram of legal cannabis and
gave them options from $8 - $17.
Here is what
they said:
More than 4
in 10 (45%) said $8
1 in 10 (9%)
said $9
One-quarter
(25%) said $10
Few (3%) said
$11
1 in 20 (5%)
said $12
Almost no one
(1%) said $13
Almost no one
(0%) said $14
Few (3%) said
$15
Almost no one
(1%) said $16
About 1 in 10
(9%) said $17
A third say the most they’d pay is $8
We asked cannabis
consumers what is the most they would pay for one gram of legal cannabis and
again gave them options from $8 - $17.
Here is what
they said:
A third (34%)
said $8
1 in 20 (5%)
said $9
Almost a
third (29%) said $10
1 in 20 (6%)
said $11
1 in 10 (9%)
said $12
Almost no one
(2%) said $13
Almost no one
(1%) said $14
1 in 20 (6%)
said $15
Almost no one
(2%) said $16
About 1 in 20
(6%) said $17
Amongst consumers, the plurality will move toward legal cannabis
Amongst consumers,
regardless of the price ($8-$17), the plurality of cannabis users at each price
point said they are not likely to continue getting cannabis from their current source.
4 in 10 not confident in where cannabis will be sold
When asked
their level of confidence in the government’s evaluation of where cannabis will
be sold, 4 in 10 (BTM2: 40%) said they are not confident, with a third (32%)
saying they are not confident at all.
A quarter
(TOP2: 23%) said they are confident, with 1 in 10 (12%) saying they are very
confident.
About
one-fifth (17%) were neutral and a similar proportion (20%) said they do not
know.
About half not confident in how cannabis sales will be policed
When asked
their level of confidence in the government’s evaluation of how the sale of cannabis
will be policed, about half (BTM2: 47%) say they are not confident, with a
third (35%) saying they are not confident at all.
One-fifth
(TOP2: 22%) said they are confident, with 1 in 10 (10%) saying they are very
confident.
About
one-fifth (17%) were neutral, while a sixth (15%) said they do not know.
More than half not confident in how driving under the influence
will be prevented
When asked
their level of confidence in the government’s evaluation of how to prevent an
increase in driving under the influence of cannabis, more than half (BTM2: 58%)
said they were not confident, with more than 4 in 10 (45%) saying they are not
confident at all.
About one-sixth
(TOP2: 15%) said they were confident, with about 1 in 10 (9%) saying they are
very confident.
One-sixth
(13%) were neutral, and a similar proportion said they do not know (13%).
More than half not confident about cannabis being kept away from
minors
When asked
their level of confidence in the government’s evaluation of how to prevent cannabis
from getting into the hands of minors, more than half (BTM2: 58%) said they
were not confident, with more than 4 in 10 (45%) saying they are not confident
at all.
About
one-sixth (TOP2: 15%) said they were confident, with about 1 in 10 (9%) saying
they are very confident.
One-sixth
(13%) were neutral, and a similar proportion said they do not know (13%).
“On the eve of cannabis legalization, support for legal cannabis remains
steady at just over half,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum
Research. “Legalization doesn’t appear to be convincing many to try cannabis,
if they haven’t previously, but it is making people wary of investing in the
industry if it affects their ability to travel to the United States.”
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.
