A Canadian survey has found that as many as 36 percent of cannabis users would consume cannabis during the holidays or other special occasions when family is usually present, but nearly all would do it secretly or discretely. Canada became the first major nation to legalize cannabis in 2018.
The survey commissioned by cannabis brand FIGR and conducted by Maru/Blue found that just 39 percent of users said they are comfortable discussing their cannabis consumption with their parents, while only 14 percent of those surveyed said they were comfortable talking about their use with their grandparents.
Marta Clark, FIGR’s marketing director, said the survey results show the stigma around cannabis still remains, but that this is unsurprising given the content of almost a century of prohibition.
“We definitely had this...war on drugs, for a very long time and cannabis is still fairly illegal in the US – it varies state by state,” Clark told the Toronto Sun. “So we are seeing [attitudes] open up to cannabis consumption but it’s going to take time. We’re only two years in.”
Just 18 percent said they would talk about their cannabis use with their boss, though this is probably a wise move. No law obligates employers to accept marijuana use on the job and even in states where marijuana is legal, organizations may maintain zero-tolerance workplace policies and take appropriate action when an employee is high while on duty.
The Maru/Blue survey suggests that it may just be a generational or parent/child dynamic at work in families however, as a big majority – 88 percent – of those surveyed said they were comfortable discussing their cannabis use with friends, while 68 percent said they were comfortable discussing use with a significant other. 60 percent also had no qualms broaching the topic with their siblings
In a previous FIGR-commissioned survey last year, 59 percent of respondents indicated they believed cannabis was more socially acceptable post-legalization.
Sources: Toronto Sun, Ganjapreneur