Cannabis survey being rolled out
Statistics Canada is rolling out a national cannabis survey to better understand marijuana use in the nation, the agency recently said.
It said it’s part of a larger initiative underway to track the impact of the legalization of non-medical cannabis, a change that may come into effect by mid-2018.
“Each quarter, a sample of 12,000 households will receive an invitation to complete the 21-question online survey. In addition to frequency of use, amount and types of product consumed, and prices paid, Canadians will be asked about changes in their behaviour or consumption patterns. Respondent information will be kept strictly confidential; data are collected under the authority of the Statistics Act,” the agency said in the release.
It said survey results will be released five to six weeks after the end of each collection period, and results will be used in conjunction with other data sources to ensure that Canadians are well-positioned to understand the economic, health and social impacts of legalization.
While that survey gets underway, it is different from the agency’s recently-launched crowdsourcing platform on the Cannabis Stats Hub website, which collects information online on cannabis transactions.
That survey shows Ontarians are paying $7.32 a gram for cannabis for medical and non-medical purposes.
It’s the second highest price in the country, with a gram costing $8.47 in the Territories; the Prairie provinces come in third at $7.04 a gram; B.C. at $6.96 a gram; the Atlantic provinces at $6.56 a gram; and Quebec at $5.88 a gram. The average price in Canada, according to the survey is $6.79 a gram.
The agency launched the survey on Jan. 25, and all of the data is being collected continuously and will be made available as new information comes in.
It said all of the observations in the data represent self-reported information submitted by website visitors concerning previous purchases of dried cannabis. The data contains no identifiable information as all submissions are done anonymously.