HALIFAX—A new study suggests Canadians aren’t embracing cannabis with the same pre-legalization enthusiasm, and uncertainty is also growing over this fall’s rollout of edibles.

The Dalhousie University study “Edibles and Canadian consumers’ willingness to consider recreational cannabis in food or beverage products: A second assessment,” was released on Thursday.

The federal government is in the process of rolling out its regulations surrounding cannabis-infused goods and vapes, which will be legal to purchase in Canada on Oct. 17 of this year.

The study’s lead author, Dalhousie University professor Sylvain Charlebois, said they wanted to better understand how Canadians perceive recreational cannabis as a food ingredient. In addition, they wondered if Canadians had changed their views on recreational cannabis since its legalization last October.

“What was unanticipated was this deflated enthusiasm towards cannabis in general, let alone edibles,” Charlebois said in an interview.

“We were actually expecting people to be more familiar and enthusiastic and accepting of cannabis. But it appears that we are actually going in another direction. People are more concerned and less certain about this whole project.”

Read more:

Did Canadians flock to cannabis after legalization? A survey finds reefer mildness

Don’t allow cannabis edibles that look like candy, medical officer of health says

Marijuana edibles may be more dangerous than smoked or vaped pot, study shows

All regions across the country showed a decrease in acceptance and an increase in uncertainty about legalized recreational cannabis, according to the survey.

In a 2017 pre-legalization cannabis survey also led by Charlebois, 68.6 per cent of Canadians indicated they were accepting of legalization, while 6.9 per cent said they were uncertain. The latest numbers suggest 50.1 per cent of Canadians are accepting, while 20.3 expressed uncertainty.

British Columbia and Ontario showed the most significant decreases in levels of acceptance. Among B.C. residents, the 2017 survey pegged 79.2 per cent as accepting of legalization and 5 per cent as uncertain. The latest numbers show that in B.C., acceptance of legalization has dropped with just 49.3 per cent of British Columbians now describing themselves as accepting, down from 79.2 per cent in 2017. In B.C., uncertainty surrounding legalization also saw a sharp increase, with 20.7 per cent saying they were uncertain, compared to 5 per cent in 2017.

The latest survey results also show 50.1 per cent of Ontarians describing themselves as accepting, and 19.3 per cent claiming they’re uncertain.This is a shift from the 2017 survey when 77.4 per cent of Ontarians said they were were accepting and 9.4 per cent defined themselves as uncertain.

“I think it has a lot to do with the fact that media have covered some incidents in the past …There were regionalized incidents across the country of people being admitted to hospital and you had some issues around pets (ingesting cannabis),” Charlebois said of the shift.

“There was a child in N.S. sent to hospital after ingesting a chocolate bar, so there’s been some of these things happening that may have compelled people to think differently about cannabis.”

When regular cannabis users were asked if they’d switched cannabis suppliers after legalization, 60.4 per cent indicated they continued to purchase from their regular supplier even after cannabis was legalized. Charlesbois said he wasn’t surprised by this, because their results are consistent with other studies assessing the status of the black market.

“If the government’s main objective was to erode the black market when it comes to cannabis, it has failed so far,” he said.

Charlebois believes the legalization of recreational cannabis-infused food products later this year will likely further drive the black market.

“It boils down to one thing. People are looking for a good price, a convenient transaction, and when you think about cannabis a typical transaction would be highly personalized and private,” he said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“How private and personalized a transaction can it be in a store or a Crown corporation owned store? That’s the paradox there. That’s probably why people just kept on buying their products from their regular vendor, legal or illegal.”

When asked about whether they’d purchase cannabis-infused food products once legalized, only 35.9 per cent of survey respondents said they would, down from 45.8 per cent reported in the 2017 survey. Only 25.5 per cent said they would be willing to order a cannabis-infused dish in a restaurant when legalized, compared with 38.5 per cent in 2017.

Concerns about eating too much cannabis-infused food and having effects that were stronger than anticipated were expressed by 59.7 per cent of respondents in both the 2017 and 2019 studies.

Of Canadians who participated in the survey, 63.6 per cent also reported being worried about children and young adults accessing edibles. A comparable number, 54.1 per cent, expressed concerns about pets ingesting cannabis, regardless of whether or not they had their own pets.

The survey also suggested that while stigma around cannabis appears low, the majority of Canadians are uncertain about whether they want their colleagues to know they use it.

Another finding that surprised Charlebois was how few respondents were familiar with cannabidiol (CBD). When asked which cannabinoid was a potential pain reliever, only 35.8 per cent knew about the biochemical properties related to CBD.

Health Canada describes delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the most researched cannabinoid — the chemicals that provide the plant’s medical and recreational effects. THC dictates how your body and brain respond to cannabis, including the high and intoxication.

Although CBD is also a cannabinoid, it differs from THC in that it doesn’t produce a high or intoxication.

“For the food industry I would argue that CBD has more potential to become some sort of a super ingredient down the road given its virtues,” he said. “It’s very hard for any company to sell a product with CBD when the marketplace doesn’t even know what CBD is. That’s one challenge for producers.”

Charlebois said he believes legalization has been a bit of a bust for many Canadians.

“Essentially, I think the Liberal government a few years ago invited Canada to a huge party only to end up in some dodgy cafeteria with boring music,” he said. “That’s my take on it.”

The survey was conducted over four days in April, with a sample size of 1,051. The survey’s estimated margin of error was 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Yvette d’Entremont is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on health. Follow her on Twitter: @ydentremont

Read more about: