The results of a new survey coming out of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia show that 46 percent of Canadians will try cannabis-infused foods when they are available.
The report was conducted in August by professor of food distribution and policy Dr. Silvain Charlebois.
Of the 1,087 survey participants, 39 percent would be willing to try marijuana cuisine in restaurants. Only 20 percent said they are interested in cooking with the herb at home, citing a lack of knowledge on how to cook with cannabis.
Regarding the end of cannabis prohibition in general, 59 percent of Canadians are worried about the risks legal pot might present to children and young adults. Despite the concern, 68 percent support adult-use marijuana legalization across the Great White North.
When looking at the breakdown of provincial results in the survey, support for legal pot is predictable. British Columbians are the most supportive at 79 percent with the prairie provinces being the least enthusiastic at 54 percent.
“Younger people and those from higher income households are more likely to feel confident in their abilities [to cook with cannabis], said Professor Charlebois. He added that among the cannabis-infused foods Canadians are interested in trying, baked goods, oils, and spices are a popular consideration.
“[The results of the survey] match what we are seeing on the ground,” said Lisa Campbell in an interview with Marijuana.com. Campbell is the organizer of various marijuana food events in Canada, including the upcoming Nuit Verte this weekend.
“You get Canadians who are super-interested in edibles [and] a lot of them have never tried it before. The fact that it’s almost legal and regulated, dosed correctly, and lab tested, makes people more likely to trust these products.”
Campbell also equates the interest in edibles to a disinterest in smoking or vaping weed. “A lot of Canadians are non-smokers so the idea of smoking a joint is a lot more intimidating than, potentially, eating a gummy bear.”
Although the federal and provincial governments are well on their way to meeting the July 2018 deadline for legal cannabis, the regulation of edibles has not been established and remains a missing piece in the legalization puzzle.
credit:marijuana.com
