Almost half of Canadians are interested in trying edible marijuana products after the drug is made legal for recreational use in 2018, according to a new study. Researchers at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management surveyed 1,087 people, and 46 percent said they would try marijuana-infused products, including brownies, muffins, oils, and spice if they were commercially available.
In addition, 39 percent of Canadians said they would be interested in trying these types of items in a restaurant, while just 20 percent said they felt comfortable making cannabis-infused food at home, reports CTVNews.ca.
Canadians should legally be able to use recreational marijuana starting July 1, 2018. However, the Cannabis Act does not legalize marijuana-infused food products, which are known as “edibles.” The government plans on dealing with the legalization of edibles in the future. In the meantime, consumers will be able to purchase dried cannabis, fresh cannabis, cannabis plants, cannabis seeds, and cannabis oil.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the study’s lead author, fears that there’s not enough public education about the drug, noting researchers are “very concerned” that the topic of edibles is just now becoming a topic for discussion.
She supports the legalization of edibles as long as there are regulations to control it. She noted that Health Canada recommends ingesting marijuana instead of smoking it because it’s healthier.
Charlebois also thinks the government should be doing more to address the demand, commenting: “Pretending that edibles don’t exist is somewhat misguided because they do exist.”
The survey also found that 68 percent of Canadians support marijuana legalization (many in B.C. and Ontario), but most don’t anticipate it will be a substitute for alcohol. Fifty-nine percent worry what effect the legalization will have on kids and young adults.
