Pubdate: Thu, 12 May 2016 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2016 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Page: A8 POLL REVEALS HOW MANY MANITOBANS SMOKE POT Alcohol consumption, gaming habits explored AS the Trudeau government wrestles with keeping its promise to legalize marijuana use, a new poll shows one in five Manitobans indulges in pot smoking. The Forum Research poll found Manitobans like booze and aren't into casino-style gambling, while a low percentage use pot. The random sampling of 1,140 Manitoba residents found 76 per cent had consumed alcohol in the past year, 53 per cent had gambled and 18 per cent had used marijuana. Among the 18 per cent who smoke pot, about four per cent smoke it daily. Lorne Bozinoff, the president of Forum Research, said the results may be skewed because of marijuana's quasi-legal status. It could mean people lie when asked about marijuana consumption, he explained. "In Manitoba, not that many people are admitting to smoking marijuana," he said, adding this is first time his firm has put the question to Manitobans. "It is quasi-legal thing, I say quasi because I am not sure people are enforcing the law that much, but the numbers look low to me." The health minister said last month the government is beginning to formalize plans to legalize and regulate marijuana. The law will be designed to keep marijuana away from children and organized crime. It will be introduced in a year, Health Minister Jane Philpott told the United Nations General Assembly at a session on global drug policy. A task force will be launched, possibly within weeks, to evaluate the government's goal to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana. The Forum poll shows 22 per cent of respondents believe marijuana should be sold through a government agency - such as Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries - while 17 per cent suggested it should be the responsibility of the private sector. The sale of pot by a combination of the public and private sectors gained the support of 43 per cent of poll respondents. The results showed a divide among men and women when it comes to where marijuana should be sold. Almost 30 per cent of women want to see it sold through government agencies, versus 16 per cent of men. Fifty-seven per cent of men surveyed prefer it to be sold in combination with the private sector, as opposed to 28 per cent of the women surveyed. Bozinoff said women could be influenced by wanting to keep pot out of the hands of children. "They may feel that the liquor stores would have more control, the way they check for IDs, verify age," he said. "The men who don't seem to be in favour of the liquor stores, they could be non-pot users and when they go into a liquor store, they don't want to see pot there." Those polled who admitted to smoking marijuana said they do so an average of 2.3 times per week - more often than the drinkers (1.7 times per week) and the gamblers (.9 times per week). The most commonly mentioned ways to consume marijuana or cannabis were smoking dried marijuana (57 per cent), vapourizing marijuana (nine per cent) smoking or vaping oil (eight per cent), smoking or vaping hashish (six per cent) and consuming edibles (six per cent). Three-quarters of Manitobans imbibe. While 24 per cent of Manitobans do not drink alcohol, those who do indicated they have a glass about 1.7 times per week. Among those who drink alcohol, 37 per cent consume wine while 29 per cent drink beer. About 15 per cent indicated a preference for mixed drinks or cocktails. Asked for their reasons for drinking, respondents said it was usually "for special occasions" (25 per cent), "relaxing" (16 per cent), "being sociable" (15 per cent) or "it goes with a meal" (12 per cent). Fifty-three per cent of those polled said they gamble. Those who do said they indulge, on average, about once a week. Among those who said they gamble, 53 per cent said the most common form of gaming they participate in is buying lottery, instant wins and scratch tickets. Meanwhile, 13 per cent said they support charity raffles or buy fundraising tickets, while 11 per cent indicated they play slot machines at a casino. Forty-three per cent of those who gamble said they did it for fun, while 19 per cent hope to get rich. The poll was conducted May 9. Results are considered accurate plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt