Many Nova Scotians plan to buy cannabis

More than one in five Nova Scotians plan to purchase cannabis products once they become legal, a new survey shows.

The survey by MQO Research asked 400 residents about their purchasing plans. In Nova Scotia, 22 per cent of the respondents said they would likely buy some marijuana, with just over 10 per cent saying they were very likely to do so, and just over 11 per cent saying they were somewhat likely.

Another 14 per cent said it was not very likely they would make any purchases, and 63 per cent said it was not likely at all.

Haligonians are high on the list of potential purchasers and are more open than the rest of the province to purchasing cannabis. In that region, 27 per cent were either very likely or somewhat likely to purchase it. In the rest of mainland Nova Scotia, 19 per cent said they were likely to purchase, while the number in Cape Breton was 14 per cent.

The survey showed that 25 per cent of males and 18 per cent of females are likely to buy products, and those under the age of 55 are more open to making a purchase.

Most people (67 per cent) who planned to purchase said they would do so at a retail location, while 21 per cent said they would shop online.

The telephone survey of randomly selected Nova Scotians took place between April 17 and 25.

The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.