Canada remains arguably the top cannabis public policy and industry experiment on the entire planet for researchers. The North American nation was the second to approve a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure when lawmakers approved the policy change in 2018, making Canada the first G-7 nation to do so.

The Canadian cannabis market continues to provide researchers with valuable insight about what happens when a country implements a nationwide legalization model involving regulated adult-use cannabis sales.

Abacus Data and Organigram Global Inc. recently conducted a survey of Canadian adults, asking them, among other things, about their reported cannabis use and views regarding the ‘economic value’ of the nation’s emerging legal cannabis industry.

“Cannabis use is widespread across age groups, and the sector is broadly seen as a valuable contributor to the national economy. Most Canadians support the idea of modernizing regulations to help the industry grow—and critically, very few see any political downside to doing so.” Abacus Data wrote about their survey.

Below are some of the key findings from the survey:

• 35% of Canadian adults report using cannabis in the past six months
• 32% of Canadian adults report that they’ve used cannabis in the last two weeks
• 25% of adults report consuming edibles
• 16% report using dried flower
• 59% of survey participants indicated that the legal cannabis sector is an “important contributor to Canada’s economy”
• 58% are ‘excited’ or ‘okay’ with Canada making it easier for the sector to grow and create jobs
• 43% want tougher enforcement against the unregulated market
• 33% want lower business taxes for producers

“A majority (57%) of Canadians say they’re open to the federal government investing in the growth of cannabis beverages, edibles, and wellness products. Only 28% would object.” Abacus Data wrote about their survey results.

“Three-quarters would welcome breakthroughs in cannabis-based pain and anxiety treatments. The same number support a future in which legal cannabis generates $5 billion in tax revenue to help fund social services and reduce the cost of living.” they also wrote.