Canadians are less enthusiastic about edibles compared to before legalization: report

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Canadians are less eager for marijuana edibles than they were prior to legalization according to a new study from the Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics in Halifax.

The study, which compares information from before cannabis was legalized in Canada, also shows that support for cannabis legalization has grown to nearly 80 per cent.

“We were intrigued that Canadians seem to be less enthusiastic about edibles since cannabis became legal,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director at the Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

“Twenty-five per cent of cannabis consumers say they typically prefer edibles, down from 36 per cent in 2019.”

The report also says nearly one in four Canadians (24 per cent) would order a cannabis dish at a restaurant, compared to 25 per cent in 2019.

“The results show 53 per cent of Canadians are concerned that cannabis edibles may make it too easy to overconsume, this is high but a notable decrease from 60 per cent in 2019,” says Brian Sterling, the principal investigator for the report.

“Meanwhile, concern remains steady that greater access to edibles poses a risk to children and pets—66 per cent are concerned with the risk for children; 60 per cent for pets. These levels are consistent with our previous studies; Canadians remain cautious about the risks with edibles.”

Edibles do have their fans though, the report says they attract people who aren’t interested in smoking, and 14 per cent of people said that they plan to consume more cannabis edibles in future.

A similar percentage of people say that they have increased their cannabis consumption of all forms since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Confection edibles, such as gummies and hard candy, are the first choice for edibles by a wide margin–35 per cent of cannabis consumers. Chocolates are the second most popular choice, and beverages are preferred by only four per cent of cannabis consumers.

Fifty per cent of Canadians say that they now use cannabis or are Canadians are less eager for marijuana edibles than they were prior to legalization according to a new study from the Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytics in Halifax.considering it, about 12 per cent indicate they started only after legalization— which is twice the level from 2019.

About a quarter of Canadians say they use cannabis mainly for recreational purposes, 10 per cent reported that they take it medically, and 11 per cent say they use it for health and wellness lifestyle reasons.

The study was conducted over ten days in May 2021, and surveyed 1,047 people across Canada, in both English and French. While not perfectly random, a typical randomized survey of this size 19 of 20 times would be accurate to about ±3 per cent.