November 26 2020: In light of changes recently made to certain American states’ rules around the criminality of possession of certain hard drugs, we asked Canadians in our recent survey whether they would support or oppose such a change to decriminalize hard drugs north of the border. Support is mixed, with just over four in ten Canadians indicating they would be onboard with decriminalization of these substances.

More specifically, two in ten are in complete support of the idea, while one-quarter mostly support such a change.  Across the country, support is highest in British Columbia (with more than one-half indicating their support), while it is lowest in Quebec (as only one-third are in support).

When looking across the population, support for this change decreases with age, that is, those under the age of 35 express the highest levels of support.  Otherwise, results are fairly consistent across other demographics such as education, income, gender, and employment status.

As background, earlier this month, Oregon voters approved Measure 110 (with a 55.8% vote) that decriminalized hard drugs (like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine), meaning that those found in possession of a small amount of these drugs are no longer facing potential jail time, and instead are offered aid for addiction assistance and other health services.

Results shown are from a survey conducted online November 11 – 13, 2020, with 1,231 Canadians 18 years of age or older from the Logit Group’s Canadian Omnibus. Fielding every month, the Logit Group’s COVID-19 Omnibus surveys Canadians to ask their opinions and behaviours related to topical issues. Results were analyzed by Narrative Research. Data was weighted based on the 2016 Census, by gender, age, and region to reflect these population characteristics in each province. As a non-probability sample (i.e., a panel sample where residents have joined a panel to share their opinions), and in accordance with CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards, a margin of error is not applied.   

For more information, please contact:

Margaret Chapman, COO, Narrative Research – 902.222.4048, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca

OR

Sam Pisani, Managing Partner, Logit Group – 416.629.4116, sam.pisani@logitgroup.com

Narrative Research (www.narrativeresearch.ca), is a leading public opinion and market research company headquartered in Canada. The company was recently certified as a WBE (Women Business Enterprise). As a non-partisan, 100% Canadian-owned research company, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. 

The Logit Group (https://logitgroup.com/) is a leading North American data collection and market research execution company headquartered in Toronto, conducting large-scale projects for a variety of well-known research agencies and brands. Logit employs industry-best technologies across an array of methodologies, and is independent, experienced and quality-oriented. 

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