Is the country going to pot? Well, let’s see. According to the Angus Reid Institute, one in four Canadians shopped for, purchased or used cannabis during the first two weeks of legalization. How many people were partaking prior to legalization? I haven’t the foggiest idea. The Angus Reid study shows ¾’s of Canadians believe the minimum age to purchase and consume cannabis should be raised from 18, the number set by the federal government to be the minimum age in any jurisdiction. Just over ¼ of those surveyed think 18 is the right age while about the same percentage thinks 21 would be more appropriate and ¼ would like to see the age raised even higher. In Saskatchewan, where the legal age is the same as for alcohol, 19, 25% of us say that age was the right choice while 28% think it should be lower and 46% think it should be higher. Millennials are twice as likely to say they are pleased rather than disappointed to see marijuana available for recreational use while the opposite is true for those aged 55 and over. Canada is the second country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis. Are we going to pot? Not yet, but to partially quote Robert Frost: the woods are lovely, dark and deep but we have miles to go before we sleep. I don’t know if that’s even applicable here but it has a nice ring to it.
That’s Coffeetalk. I’m Vic Dubois.