Perceived access to cannabis and ease of purchasing cannabis in retail stores in Canada immediately before and one year after legalization

ABSTRACT

Background: Canada legalized non-medical cannabis in October 2018. Little research has examined the change in perceived access to cannabis after legalization in Canada, including the perceived ease of purchasing cannabis in a legal market.

Objectives: To: 1) describe changes in perceived ease of access to cannabis before and one year after legalization; 2) examine associations between perceived ease of cannabis access and cannabis use; and 3) examine associations between perceived ease of purchasing from cannabis stores and cannabis use.

Methods: Repeat cross-sectional data come from Canadian respondents aged 16–65 (50% male) in August-October 2018 (n = 10,057) and September-October 2019 (n = 15,256). Respondents were recruited through commercial online panels. Multivariable logistic regression models examined correlates of perceived proximity to retail stores, ease of access, and ease of purchasing from retail stores.

Results: Canadians who do not consume cannabis were more likely to report “easy” access to cannabis in 2019 than in 2018 (55% vs. 42%; AOR = 1.80:1.66,1.96). All cannabis consumer groups were more likely to report living 15 minutes or less from a retail store in 2019 than 2018, but the association was strongest among non-consumers in 2019 vs 2018 (AOR = 2.01:183,2.21 vs. AOR = 1.33:1.03,1.73 for daily consumers). Non-daily and daily cannabis consumers were more likely to report it was easy to purchase from an illegal (AOR ranged 1.58–2.22) or legal (AOR ranged 1.31–1.39) store than non-consumers in 2019.

Conclusion: Most cannabis consumers and non-consumers perceived access to cannabis as ‘easy’ before legalization and the percentage increased one year after legalization.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• marijuana
• perceived access
• proximity
• legalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this study was provided by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Bridge Grant (PJT-153342) and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant. Additional support was provided by a Public Health Agency of Canada-Canadian Institutes of Health Research Chair in Applied Public Health (DH) and a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (EW). The funders had no role in study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, report writing, or decision to submit the report for publication.