Almost Half of Canadians Are Interested in Edibles

With legal cannabis hitting Canada in July 2018, a recent study shows that many Canadians aren’t shy about their hunger for cannabis-infused edibles. According to researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, 68 percent of people across the country are in favor of the legalization of cannabis. The same study showed that 46 percent of those surveyed would be interested in trying cannabis-infused baked goods and candies.

While most of the people surveyed were in favor of cannabis legalization, there were still some concerns regarding edibles. Canada set the minimum age requirement to consume cannabis at 18, but the main concern is that young children will be drawn to cannabis-infused baked goods and candies.

Sylvain Charlebois, professor of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University and co-author of the study, agrees that there is a present risk with the impending legalization, but most Canadians are already aware of it. “On the one hand, people are willing to accept the legalization of non-medicinal marijuana but at the same time they do recognize societal risks related to doing so,” Charlebois told the National Post.

Although Canada doesn’t plan on legalizing edible cannabis for recreational consumption right away, Charlebois thinks that the government should act on the expressed concerns and introduce rules and regulations for edibles instead of dealing with it at a later date. “Our point is, regardless if C-45 will allow it or not, people will actually try edibles one way or the other,” Charlebois said to CTV News. “I think we need to legalize edibles and make sure we have the proper regulatory framework to support it.”

As a growing multi-million dollar industry with many people interested in cannabis-infused cuisine, Charlebois can see cannabis becoming more popular within the food industry as well. “This could be the next gluten-free phenomenon,” she added. “A lot of companies are seeing marijuana as the next trend.”