With less than a month until the legalization of recreational marijuana, a new study from the Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians are three times as likely to say that measures in the law will fail rather than succeed (57% versus 17%) at preventing minors from accessing cannabis after October 17, and twice as likely to say they lack confidence in the ability of their community police to assess and punish those driving under the influence of marijuana (60% to 32%).
A majority (62 per cent) say they support legalization, but they are evenly divided about the ability of the government to weaken the earnings of organized crime in the near future. This, as experts expect legal pot to be more expensive and less available than illicit forms in the first years of implementation.
And while four-in-ten (40%) say they’re ready to get on with a post-legalization Canada, half (51%) say they are worried that their province is yet ill-prepared for the deadline.
More Key Findings:
Even among supporters of legalization more Canadians say that the government will fail (41%) rather than succeed (25%) in its efforts to prevent kids from accessing marijuana. Those opposed are overwhelmingly negative on this question (84% to 4%)
British Columbia is the only province where more residents say they are confident (48%) that their government is ready for legalization than not confident (40%). The second group outweighs the first in all other regions canvassed, with Ontario voicing the least confidence (36%).
Six-in-ten Canadians (60%), and at least half across all ages and political affiliations, say they are not confident that their community police are ready to effectively manage these changes.
The Angus Reid Institute is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to enhance and encourage better understanding of issues and trends affecting economic, social, governance, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and foreign policy in Canada and its world.
With less than a month until the legalization of recreational marijuana, a new study from the Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians are three times as likely to say that measures in the law will fail rather than succeed (57% versus 17%) at preventing minors from accessing cannabis after October 17, and twice as likely to say they lack confidence in the ability of their community police to assess and punish those driving under the influence of marijuana (60% to 32%).
