Legalizing Marijuana Was Justin Trudeau’s Greatest Accomplishment, Poll Of Canadians Finds

As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to go away workplace, Canadians are giving him an exit evaluation—and he’s evidently earned the very best marks for his function in legalizing marijuana nationwide.

A survey of Canadian adults from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute discovered that, among the many prime minister’s coverage achievements, hashish reform was the preferred, with 52 % describing it as a hit of the administration. Just 24 % referred to as it a failure.

Out of 10 coverage objects that respondents have been requested about, legalization was the one one with majority assist.

Going down the listing, 47 % gave Trudeau credit score for his dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic, 46 % supported his growth of social companies, 45 % mentioned he successfully navigated the Ukraine-Russia struggle and 39 % backed his ban on assault-style firearms, for instance.

Via Angus Reid Institute.

Marijuana legalization additionally proved extra standard than the prime minister’s efforts to advertise gender equality (38 %), impose a federal carbon tax (19 %), full an oil pipeline (17 %), reply to inflation (14 %) and tackle immigration coverage (10 %).

The survey concerned interviews with 1,850 Canadian adults from March 4-6, with a +/- 2 share level margin of error.

Canada legalized marijuana for adult-use at the federal level in 2018, with the vocal assist of Trudeau, who campaigned on the difficulty.

While the implementation of the hashish program didn’t come with out its hitches, research and surveys have indicated that it’s been typically profitable, reaching most of the targets advocates argued it could resembling giving Canadian adults a safer and regulated alternative to the illicit market, with out driving youth consumption as prohibitionists claimed it could.

According to a authorities report launched in December, the vast majority of Canadian consumers now say they obtain cannabis legally, with solely 3 % of respondents reporting buying from illicit sources.

Observers have additionally been watching how broader adult-use legalization impacts medical marijuana in Canada, noting, for instance, affected person enrollment charges declining after legalization was enacted however earlier than retailers opened for enterprise.

A examine earlier this 12 months, in the meantime, discovered similar marijuana use rates and support for legalization in both the U.S. and Canada regardless of the international locations’ totally different nationwide approaches to regulating the drug.

Another report out of Canada this 12 months discovered marijuana legalization was “associated with a decline in beer sales,” suggesting a substitution effect the place customers shift from one product to the opposite.

A separate examine final 12 months discovered that the proportion of high-school students who said marijuana was easy to obtain has fallen in recent times.

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