The year 2018 was a revolutionary year in terms of the legalization, availability, and use of cannabis in Canada. Also, it has been a significant year because a lot of people have changed their perceptions about cannabis. Recently, Health Canada released a 2018 Canada Cannabis Survey and here are the main takeaways from this survey.
Knowledge and attitude
All of the respondents of the survey answered questions pertaining to their knowledge and attitude towards cannabis. The most relevant topics include:
Social acceptability
There were questions about the acceptability of using different products either occasionally or regularly. According to the Canada Cannabis Survey, the order of the most “socially acceptable” substances to take was alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco, respectively. Based on the previous survey, there was a slight increase in the social acceptability of taking cannabis in different forms compared to 2017.
Perceived risk
The respondents answered questions about their first time taking cannabis and how much was the risk involved by taking such products occasionally and regularly. The researchers measured the perceived risk of taking cannabis through a 4-point Likert scale.
Generally, most of the respondents believed that occasionally taking cannabis only presented a slight risk or no risk at all. But when taken regularly, most people believed that taking cannabis could be habit-forming.
Cannabis use inside the home
About one-quarter of the respondents reported that they used cannabis inside the home. This statistic remains the same as the results from last year’s survey. In the past 12 months, the respondents took cannabis differently at home. Some people smoked cannabis, some consumed it, and others vaped it.
Cannabis use
One of the main focus points of the Canada cannabis survey was about those who used cannabis for non-medical purposes. Here are some of the significant points in terms of cannabis use:
Frequency of cannabis use
More than half of the respondents claimed that they used cannabis about 3 days each month or less. Others used cannabis less than one time each month, 2-3 days each month, 1-2 days each week, 3-4 days each week, 5-6 days each week, and daily, respectively. For the gender, males used cannabis more frequently than females.
Methods of consumption
People who used cannabis in 2018 also answered questions about their methods of consumption for recreational purposes. By far, smoking cannabis was the most common method as reported by the respondents.
Unlike last year, the consumption method for this year was more varied as other people used cannabis by eating it with their food, vaping it with a vape pen, and vaping it with a vaporizer.
Types of cannabis products used and frequency
Among all of the different types of products used, the main types include the dried leaves and flowers, edibles, kief or hashish, solid concentrate, and liquid concentrate.
When asked about how frequent they used these products, the most common answer was less than one day each month for the flowers and edibles. For those who used kief or hashish, males were more likely to use these types of product compared to females.
Sources used to obtain the cannabis product
Most respondents claimed that they obtained their cannabis products from a single source. Others purchased from 2-3 sources while only a few of the respondents either grew cannabis on their own or purchased products from 4, 5, 6 or more sources. The most common sources people bought their cannabis products from were from their friends, from dispensaries, dealers, and acquaintances.
Average amount spent on cannabis each month
Based on the survey, most people would typically spend around $70 or so each month for cannabis products. Depending on where the respondents lived, the average range they spent on such products was between $67 and $115. Also, males were more likely to purchase cannabis products than females.
Driving and Cannabis
The Canada Cannabis Survey also had some questions about driving and cannabis. This is another important topic which was well-worth learning about. Consider these results:
People who operated a vehicle within two hours of using cannabis, and at what frequency
Another specific focus of the survey was about whether or not the respondents drove a vehicle after using cannabis. A good number of respondents claimed that they have never done this. Of those who claimed that they had operated a vehicle within 2 hours of using cannabis, some have done so within the past month. Again, males have shown a higher prevalence of this behavior compared to females.
Opinions on cannabis use and driving
Most of the respondents have reported that they believe that using cannabis has a huge effect on driving. In terms of how long one should wait after using cannabis before he can drive a car, the respondents didn’t provide a specific time. However, they did say that this would depend on the user’s weight, tolerance, and how much cannabis he took.
Opinions on cannabis use for medical purposes and driving
In the survey’s medical section, they also had to answer questions about cannabis and driving. Most of them believed that using cannabis for medical purposes will end up impairing the ability to drive. A few said that this it won’t affect while others said “it depends.”
Cannabis for Medical Purposes
Finally, there was also a medical section in the Canada cannabis survey which focused on using cannabis for medical purposes. Some of the most significant results were:
Medical use
Among all the respondents, only a small number of them used cannabis for medical purposes. Still, this number had increased from the number of users in 2017.
Proportion and frequency of cannabis use for medical purposes
Most of those who used cannabis for medical purposes took the substance once each day. A lesser number took cannabis either twice each day or five times or more each day.
Types of cannabis products used for medical purposes
The main types of products used for medical purposes were the dried leaves and flowers along with the edibles. Some of the respondents also used cannabis oil and a few took other types such as liquid concentrates, solid concentrates, topical ointments, vape pens, kief or hashish, and liquids.
Sources used to obtain cannabis products for medical purposes
When it comes to the sources people obtained their cannabis products for medical purposes, there was a good variety. Most of them obtained the products from their friends while others got them from dispensaries, licensed producers in Canada, online sources, and dealers.
Average amount spent on cannabis for medical purposes in a typical month
Generally, most of those who purchased cannabis products for medical purposes spent around $115 in a typical month. This amount remained the same as the one recorded from last year’s survey.
