Not your regular birthday celebration: Survey reveals millions of Canadians plan to light up this Canada Day

With the first Canada Day since cannabis legalization approaching, Canadians might be seeing celebratory smoke clouds fill the air this long weekend.

A recent survey commissioned by Leafly revealed that six million Canadians are planning to consume cannabis this Canada Day weekend. Conducted by Maru/Blue, the survey asked 1,513 randomly selected Canadian adults whether or not they were planning to consume cannabis during the Canada Day long weekend and 21 percent said yes. (The survey, done from June 17 to June 18, 2019, has an estimated margin of error of plus/minus 2.5 percent, 19 times out of 20).

Who will be consuming cannabis this Canada Day?

As per usual, more men than women are expected to consume cannabis this coming weekend. Survey results show one in four male respondents, or 25 percent, plan to consume cannabis, compared to just 16 percent of women.

Millennials, defined in the survey as aged 18 to 34, are predicted to account for the largest portion of long weekend consumers at 33 percent. Generation X, aged 35 to 54, are expected to come in second at 24 percent, and Baby Boomers, aged 55 to 74, will be bringing up the rear at only eight percent.

By region, it appears that people in Alberta and Atlantic Canada will be having the most cannabis fun, with 25 percent of respondents having plans to partake, followed by British Columbia at 22 percent and Ontario at 21 percent. On the lower end, Saskatchewan accounts for only 13 percent of those in the province planning to use cannabis (the territories were not represented in survey results).

How do survey results compare to the national numbers?

Even though a hike in cannabis use can safely be predicted this Canada Day, the Leafly results are not far off from those in The National Cannabis Survey.

Figures for the first quarter of 2019, released in by Statistics Canada in early May, show that about 5.3 million or 18 percent of Canadians aged 15 years and older had used cannabis since February 2018.

The Cannabis Stats Hub notes the following:

22.3 percent of cannabis users are male, while 12.7 percent are female;

those aged 15 to 24 account for 29.5 percent of users, while those 25 to 34 make up 28.7 percent, those 35 to 44 comprise 18.8 percent, those 45 to 54 represent 12.5 percent, those 55 to 64 account for 15.3 percent and those 65 and older make up 4.4 percent; and

Atlantic Canada accounts for around 17.6 percent of cannabis users, Alberta for 21.5 percent, British Columbia for 19.1 percent and Ontario for 20.0 percent.

While the Leafly survey did not ask respondents about methods of consumption, it is expected that the majority of those who plan to consume cannabis will smoke it. Vaping and consuming edibles are likely to be less common this Canada Day.

If you are one of the estimated six million Canadians who plan on consuming cannabis this long weekend, remember to stay safe, follow the law and have fun!

Want to keep up to date on what’s happening in the world of cannabis? Subscribe to the Cannabis Post newsletter for weekly insights into the industry, what insiders will be talking about and content from across the Postmedia Network.