50% want weed sold like booze, poll finds

Ontario government’s plan to sell marijuana ‘may be on point,’ Forum head says

Half of Ontarians believe recreational marijuana should be regulated like alcohol, a new poll suggests.

Forum Research found 50 per cent of respondents want the government to treat cannabis like alcohol.

That’s encouraging news to Premier Kathleen Wynne’s administra- tion, which will restrict the sale of legalized weed to 150 stand-alone LCBO-run stores

“It seems the government’s marijuana plan may be on point,” Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said.

The province runs the 660-store Liquor Control Board of Ontario retail chain, which has a monopoly on the sale of spirits.

The LCBO also sells beer and wine, though both are available at private outlets, such as select supermarkets, specialty wine kiosks and Beer Store outlets.

About a third — 32 per cent — of those polled said marijuana should be regulated like tobacco, which is sold mostly by private-sector outlets, such as convenience stores. Another 18 per cent did not know.

Using interactive voice response telephone calls, Forum surveyed 801 people across the province on Wednesday and Thursday with results considered accurate to within three percentage points 19 times out of 20. The firm also asked about the Ontario government’s recent trial balloon that the retail price of mari- juana should be $10 a gram once it’s legalized next July.

More than a quarter — 27 per cent — said it is “reasonable” while 17 per cent said that price is “unreasonable” and 55 per cent were not sure.

But of the106 respondents who said they are regular marijuana users, 59 per cent said $10 a gram is “reasonable,” 28 per cent said it’s “unreasonable,” and13 per cent didn’t know.

“Those consumers think that the rumoured price of $10 per gram is pretty good,” Bozinoff said. The Forum survey comes two weeks after a Campaign Research poll found 51 per cent back the plan to have recreational marijuana sold solely through the LCBO-run stores and website.

About a third — 35 per cent — of those in that poll oppose the idea and 14 per cent had no opinion.

The Campaign Research online poll of a panel of 1,133 Ontario voters was conducted Sept. 8 to 11.

With a sample of that size it would be considered accurate to within 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.