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“We’ve got a majority of people in this country, about half the population, that is deeply concerned that marijuana is going to roll out and key sections of society are not prepared to deal with it,” said John Wright, CEO of Dart Insight. “The motive is purely political, but the impact at the local level is very real…. If it comes off the rails, the Liberals may pay a price for it in the next election.”

A majority of Canadians (55 per cent) and 61 per cent of people over 55 think that their province is not ready to deal with stoned drivers. More than 60 per cent of people in Quebec and Alberta do not think their government has an effective plan in place, while people are more likely to think their province is prepared in Ontario (52 per cent).

“The issue with driving under the influence is, how do you detect it? Especially when there are edibles on the market. How do you measure it? How do you detect it? How do you identify who is under the influence and by how much?” Wright said. “We have a lot of science on alcohol but not on (cannabis).”

The country is split on how legalization will affect minors. Just over half (51 per cent) of those surveyed think underaged kids are more likely to get addicted to marijuana than cigarettes. Two thirds of Quebecers (64 per cent) are concerned about this, while the majority of people in B.C. (57 per cent), and Alberta and Atlantic Canada (56 per cent) disagree. Most Canadians (73 per cent) want joints to be treated like cigarettes, including how they are packaged.