10% of adults in N.S., N.B.’s biggest cities bought legal pot since Oct. 17: poll

Green Weed Farm News : Cannabis News

One in 10 adults in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have purchased cannabis from authorized vendors since it became legalized on Oct. 17, a new poll has found.

The poll conducted by Corporate Research Associates Inc. [CRA] shows that 10 per cent of Moncton and Fredericton residents, nine per cent of Saint John residents and seven per cent of Halifax residents have lawfully purchased pot since legalization day.

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CRA says those figures are consistent with a pre-legalization survey conducted in the fall, which suggested the nine per cent of New Brunswick adults and 10 per cent of Nova Scotia adults would buy marijuana once it was legalized.

A high percentage of those who have bought legal pot are young adults, the study found. In Fredericton, 28 per cent were between the ages of 18 and 34, while in Moncton 26 per cent in that age group made a purchase, and in Saint John 22 per cent did so.

In Halifax, only 12 percent of residents aged 18 to 34 purchased marijuana, while nine per cent of those aged 35 to 54 did so.

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The poll also found that among those who have not yet made a purchase, 19 per cent of Moncton residents, 18 per cent of Fredericton residents, 14 per cent of Saint John residents, and 20 per cent of Halifax residents would buy pot legally in the near future.

“Previous research undertaken by our company related to purchase intentions of marijuana closely mirrors the actual behaviour in major urban markets in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, since marijuana has been legally available for sale,” said CRA president and COO Margaret Brigley in a statement.

“We intend to continue to track marijuana purchase behaviour to determine whether or not the market for this product will increase over time.”

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The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation says the province conducted 12,180 transactions during the first day of business in the legal cannabis game, raking in just over $660,000 in sales.

Updated figures on pot sales since the first day of legalization have not yet been made available.

This poll is accurate to within ±4.9 percentage points for Halifax, Moncton and Fredericton, and ±5.7 percentage points for Saint John, 95 out of 100 times.

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