A new study from Dalhousie University shows Canadians are less eager for pot edibles than they were prior to legalization, and more have turned to legal sources for weed than before.

The study, titled “Perceptions of Canadian Consumers: Cannabis & Edibles – A New Assessment” compares Canadian attitudes toward cannabis products with previous studies conducted in 2017 (prior to legalization) and in 2019.

“We were intrigued that Canadians seem to be less enthusiastic about edibles since cannabis became legal,” said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director at Dalhousie’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab.

“Twenty-five per cent of cannabis consumers say they typically prefer edibles, down from 36% in 2019.” 

The report says nearly one in four Canadians would order a cannabis dish at a restaurant: steady at 24% (compared to 25% in 2019).

“The results show 53% of Canadians are concerned that cannabis edibles may make it too easy to overconsume – this is high but a notable decrease from 60% in 2019,” said Brian Sterling, the principal investigator for the report. 

“Meanwhile, concern remains steady that greater access to edibles poses a risk to children and pets (66% are concerned with the risk for children; 60% for pets). These levels are consistent with our previous studies; Canadians remain cautious about the risks with edibles.”

The Dalhousie researchers say edibles attract those who don’t want to smoke. Fourteen per cent of respondents indicated that they plan to consume more cannabis edibles in future. A similar portion say that they have increased cannabis consumption (in all forms) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Confections, such as gummies and hard candy, are the first choice for edibles (35% of such consumers). Chocolates place second and beverages are preferred by just 4%.

Support for legalization has surged to 78% of respondents (up from 49% in 2019), placing Canadians’ cannabis approval levels above those in some U.S. states. Disagreement with legalization has decreased to 14% (from 30% in the previous study). While 65% of Canadians say they do not mind if restaurants put edibles on their menus, the portion of “canna-curious” has dropped to 13% from 26%.

An overwhelming 56% of respondents say towns and cities should not be permitted to ban cannabis retailers within their municipal boundaries – a reversal of responses prior to legalization.  Fewer Canadians are shy about pot consumption, as 57% say they don’t care if others know they consume cannabis recreationally – even if they are co-workers.

The proportion of Canadians who buy only from legal sources has almost doubled to 60% from 38% in 2019.  Roughly 37% say they at least occasionally purchase cannabis from their ‘legacy sources’ – a substantial drop from the 60% reported in 2019.

A total of 55% of Canadians say that they now use cannabis or considering it; about 12% indicate they started only after legalization (twice the 6% level in 2019). From the survey, 24% of Canadians use cannabis mainly for recreational purposes; 10% medically, and 11% for health and wellness.

The study shows that 45% of cannabis consumers still typically buy dried flower; oil/tinctures are the preference for 22%. Vape cartridges comprise about 7% of first choices.

U.S. residents who took the survey differed from Canadians in some respects. More Americans consumed cannabis at least once weekly (62% vs 49%). Less Americans are concerned about pets accessing cannabis (47% vs 61%), or risks for youth (51% vs 63%). More Americans plan to consume more edibles in the future (21% vs 13%) and more American edible consumers eat baked goods (18.7% vs 8.9%).

The study was conducted in May and surveyed 1,047 Canadians in both English and French. While not perfectly random, a typical randomized survey of this size 19 of 20 times would be accurate to about ±3%. In all, 1,037 Americans also took the survey.