As expected, Canada is going to pot.

Marijuana use has risen in the country since legalization, according to a new study from Western Canadian research company Insights West, which shows that nearly a quarter of adult Canadians consumed cannabis in the last few months of 2018.

In an online study conducted from Dec. 13 to 21 among 1,001 adult Canadians and 1,500 past-year cannabis users, 23 per cent of legal-age respondents reported using marijuana in one way or another since legalization, including five per cent of respondents who said they consumed cannabis for the very first time.

The study, titled “The Future of Cannabis in Canada” and conducted by Insights West for Resonance Consultancy in partnership with Valens GroWorks, shows there has been a nationwide increase in cannabis consumption since legalization, and not only due to new users. Enthusiasm has risen among established users as well, with 16 per cent of respondents saying they have increased their cannabis use in recent months.

It’s a budding market, in other words.

Most Canadians still prefer to consume their cannabis the old-fashioned way, according to the study. More than two-thirds (or 68 per cent) of past-year cannabis users said they smoked a joint, with 36 per cent of that group saying it’s their regular means of consumption.

But edibles are making a surge, with 36 per cent of past-year cannabis users saying they eat it on a regular/occasional basis. Vaping and oils are also on the rise, at 30 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. And 10 per cent say they consume cannabis in drinkables on a regular/occasional basis.

According to the report, this points to “wide opportunity in the Canadian marketplace to expand the methods in which Canadians choose to consume cannabis in the future.” Canadians have expressed strong interest in branching out into other forms of cannabis consumption, especially in the all-important 18-to-34 demographic. Millennial consumers are more likely to try consuming cannabis edibles and drinkables relative to their older counterparts, according to Insights West, with interest levels about 20 points higher than their boomer counterparts.

“There have been dramatic changes to the cannabis economy since the advent of legalization, and further changes are yet to come,” said Steve Mossop, president of Insights West. “Retail distribution as well as product preferences are also part of the dramatic shifts that will continue to shape the future of this dynamic industry.”

But while the industry may be dynamic, cannabis users still aren’t — they overwhelmingly prefer to stay in, and generally by themselves. A whopping 72 per cent of recreational cannabis users prefer to get high at home. Sixty-three per cent prefer to consume alone.

hmooney@postmedia.com

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