A majority of Canadians consider the marijuana industry to be an important part of the country\u2019s economy\u2014and they also expect to see the market play an even greater role in the future\u2014according to a new survey.<\/p>\n
The poll from Abacus Data, which was commissioned by the Canadian cannabis company Organigram Global, examined attitudes toward the industry just over 10 years after the country enacted adult-use legalization.<\/p>\n
Asked about their perception of the significance of Canada\u2019s marijuana marketplace in the broader economy, 57 percent said it\u2019s currently an important contributor, with only 14 percent disagreeing.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, with an upcoming federal election, 64 percent said they\u2019d like to see the next administration takes steps to support the cannabis sector\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n
The polling firm noted that the \u201cwarmth toward government support of the cannabis industry also spans the political spectrum,\u201d as majorities of every major party in the country\u2014from Liberals (68 percent) to Conservatives (64 percent)\u2014said they were open to having the government bolster the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadians want their country to thrive through innovative, homegrown industries\u2014and cannabis is firmly on that list,\u201d Beena Goldenberg, CEO of Organigram, said<\/a> in a press release. \u201cThe message from Canadians is clear: Canada\u2019s next Prime Minister must remove barriers and support sectors that deliver jobs, growth, and economic resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n To that point, another recent survey that looked at the legacy of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/a> found that his role in facilitating marijuana legalization, which he signed into law in 2018<\/a>, was his most popular achievement. Fifty-two percent of respondents described the reform as a success of the administration.<\/p>\n For the latest poll<\/a>, 1,915 Canadian adults were interviewed from April 3-8. The margin of error is +\/-2.34 percentage points.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does all of this mean as Canadians head to the polls to choose a federal government? First, it underscores the remarkably broad-based support\u2014and, in fact, more intense support than opposition\u2014for efforts to strengthen the legal cannabis sector,\u201d Abacus Data said.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven ongoing challenges with global trade and the unpredictability of the current U.S. administration, building up a high-growth industry like cannabis could be a prudent strategy for insulating our economy from external shocks,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The survey analysis also described ways the administration could proactively support the cannabis market. For example, it could seek to further \u201cremove interprovincial barriers on cannabis sales, reform the excise taxation framework, standardize regulations, and encourage investment in research and development.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGovernments can offer competitive tax or financing programs aimed at cannabis entrepreneurs\u2014particularly in areas hard hit by economic downturns in traditional sectors,\u201d it said. \u201cDoing so would help expand cultivation, processing, retail, and spinoff opportunities in communities seeking to diversify their economic base.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, despite its historic alliance, the U.S. and Canada have had a frayed relationship since the start of President Donald Trump\u2019s current term in office. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of the Liberal Party hasn\u2019t been shy about criticizing the U.S. president amid the imposition of major tariffs on Canadian goods.<\/p>\n An industry-led political action committee (PAC) recently seized upon Trump\u2019s apparent hostility toward Canada, releasing an ad emphasizing that American cannabis businesses are losing out to the neighboring country<\/a> due to prohibition.<\/p>\n \u201cCanada is attacking American cannabis companies, and Democrats aren\u2019t helping,\u201d it claimed. \u201cMedical cannabis is legal in 40 states, but Washington treats it the same as heroin. That means American companies can\u2019t conduct research and are barred from the stock exchange while Canadian companies cash in.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, although the implementation of Canada\u2019s cannabis program didn\u2019t come without its hitches, studies and surveys have indicated that it\u2019s been generally successful, achieving many of the goals advocates argued it would such as giving Canadian adults a safer and regulated alternative to the illicit market<\/a>, without driving youth consumption as prohibitionists claimed it would.<\/p>\n According to a government report released in December,\u00a0the vast majority of Canadian consumers now say they obtain cannabis legally<\/a>, with only 3 percent of respondents reporting purchasing from illicit sources.<\/p>\n Observers have also been\u00a0watching how broader adult-use legalization impacts medical marijuana in Canada<\/a>, noting, for example, patient enrollment rates declining after legalization was enacted but before retailers opened for business.<\/p>\n A study earlier this year, meanwhile, found\u00a0similar marijuana use rates and support for legalization in both the U.S. and Canada<\/a>\u00a0despite the countries\u2019 different national approaches to regulating the drug.<\/p>\n Another report out of Canada this year found marijuana legalization was\u00a0\u201cassociated with a decline in beer sales,\u201d suggesting a substitution effect<\/a>\u00a0where consumers shift from one product to the other.<\/p>\n A separate study last year found that the\u00a0proportion of high-school students who said marijuana was easy to obtain has fallen<\/a>\u00a0in recent years.<\/p>\n Bipartisan Pennsylvania Lawmakers Announce New Plan To Legalize Marijuana This Year<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of WeedPornDaily<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Most Canadians Say Marijuana Is An Important Part Of The Economy And Want Government To Help The Industry, Poll Shows<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A majority of Canadians consider the marijuana industry to be an important part of the country\u2019s economy\u2014and they also expect to see the market play an even greater role in the future\u2014according to a new survey. The poll from Abacus Data, which was commissioned by the Canadian cannabis company OrganigramContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80908"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80908"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80909,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80908\/revisions\/80909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Most Canadians Say Marijuana Is An Important Part Of The Economy And Want Government To Help The Industry, Poll Shows<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"