In Canada, three in 10 respondents said they wanted to use less cannabis and one in seven wanted professional help to stop using the drug

While Canada becomes a cannabis kingdom, 29 percent of Canadians responding to a recent poll say they use too much weed—but about seven in 10 respondents say they “totally” trust their drug dealers.

The Global Drug Survey 2019, led by Dr. Adam Winstock and his team in London, U.K., anonymously surveyed more than 130,000 people across 36 countries. Researchers asked 1,960 Canadians about their drinking and drug habits.

In Canada, 29 percent of people surveyed said they wanted to use less marijuana and 14 percent wanted help to stop using the drug, mirroring the global average.

The good news is Canadian drug dealers seem nice: 68 percent of Canadians polled reported “totally” trusting that their dealer wouldn’t be violent or abusive, and overall, 83 percent of Canadians surveyed have faith in their dealers.

Globally, there was a startling gender difference in terms of pot use. Men in the survey used cannabis twice as often, reporting that they used marijuana on 100 days in 2018 compared to women who used it just 40 days.

While the report only reflects the habits of those in the survey, Winstock praised Canada as a whole for how it has handled cannabis legalization and labelling.

“Mentioning harms won’t be easy for some cannabis companies and committed consumers,” the report reads. “The reality is that mandating health warnings is the only reasonable approach any country legalizing cannabis can adopt. To date, none apart from Canada have chosen to do so.”

Overall, most respondents in the poll find health warnings on cannabis products helpful. The survey tested out six different labels and the warning with the highest score encouraged people to “grow your brain before you expand it,” the report adds.

“Adolescents under the age of 21 are at greater risk of harms from THC-containing cannabis. Regular cannabis use at an early age increases the risk of dependence and mental health disorders,” the warning notes.

The report also suggested participants who used cannabis seemed to be better informed about the health consequences of drug use compared to those who drink alcohol.

• Email: bhristova@postmedia.com | Twitter: bobbyhristova

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