NATIONAL PULSE – Canadians disjointed on pot plan: Most support it, but think it will fail in its key goals

Two-in-three say the proposed law will fail to stop kids from using more pot once it’s legal

The Angus Reid Institute reports on what Canadians think of the marijuana debate as of today, April 20, 2017:

With tens of thousands expected to bask in a celebratory haze over the prospect of soon getting legally high on their own supply of pot this 4/20, a new public opinion poll from the Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians in favour of the draft legislation that would legalize marijuana use, but less mellow as to whether it will achieve the goals the government has set for it.

More than six-in-ten Canadians say they support the proposed Cannabis Act. But once into the weeds on the details of it, an even larger number (66%) expect it to fail in its key mission of making it more difficult for young people to use the drug. Likewise, a small majority think the bill will fail to cut organized crime out of the marijuana industry, and half expect it to fail to prevent a surge in the number of people driving impaired.

Canadians are also somewhat divided on the 30-gram limit the bill sets for marijuana possession, with fewer than half (45%) saying this is “about right,” and the rest more likely to say it is too high than too low.

Key Findings:

• Six-in-ten Canadians (63%) say they are in favour of the Cannabis Act proposed by the federal government. That’s slightly lower than the two-thirds (68%) said “make it legal” when the Angus Reid Institute asked about the subject last year

• Canadians are divided evenly over whether new proposed punishments for driving under the influence of marijuana will have the desired effect. Half (49%) say they expect the measures to discourage marijuana-impaired driving, while 51 per cent remain unconvinced

• Two-in-three (66%) say the new law, if passed, will fail to prevent young people from using even more pot than they already do – something the government has made a key goal of its legalization effort

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/marijuana-legalization-bill